After CONI advised to drop charges against Ivan Basso today, this years winner of the Giro d'Italia could be back to racing at the Giro Lombardia, next saturday.  According to British "Procycling" CSC has added Ivan Basso to their startlist. It's unkown how the UCI will react to CONI's decision, the UCI threatened to appeal at the International sports court earlier but didn't comment the CONI decision today.  Italian media reported earlier this week that the UCI was putting pressure on CONI not to drop charges against Basso.

 

Todays decision comes after reports that  letters had been sent by the Spanish court which is handling the Puerto case, to both the Spanish federation and the International Cycling Union recommending that no sanctions be taken against riders implicated in the affair. In the letter the Spanish judge who is leading the Puerto case stated that the court is not certain if the identification of the riders is correct and that the documents can't be used to open diciplinary cases against riders as the documents are still confidential. The letter also says the UCI is not a party in the case. This could open the door back to racing for all accused riders in the Puerto affair.

 

CONI left the door open to re-open the case against Basso If additional information should turn up later and be made availble by the Spanish authorities.

 

Ivan Basso sounded like a happy man, Basso told Italian sports daily "Gazzetta dello Sport": "This is good news, “Although I don’t know yet if I will race on Saturday (Basso actually said sunday, but we corrected it in our translation since he meant the Giro Lombardia which takes place on Saturday, ed.). I need to speak with (CSC team manager,ed.) Bjarne Riis, and then we will decide.”

 

"We are delighted with the result," Basso's lawyer Massimo Martelli told newsagency Associated Press. "It's the best possible outcome and we hope it stops here."

 

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