The Italian cycling federation has launched an investigation into allegations that some cyclists raced during the Covid19 lock-down period.
Italy was severely impacted by Covid19 with the virus
hitting that country earlier than the rest of Europe and the impact of the
virus there was widely covered in the international media.
Total lock-down conditions were imposed with residents
only permitted to leave their homes under very strict conditions for several
months.
Public gatherings and sports events were also cancelled
and banned in Italy, including any Italians traveling abroad to take part in
sports events.
While quarantine measures were put in place in many
European countries in early to mid March, the Italians were forced into a very
severe lock-down early and their hospitals where overwhelmed.
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Many of the restrictions, including on professional
cyclists training outdoors, were punishable by convictions and fines.
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However, the Italian federation is now investigating if
some riders, and one team in particular, breached the suspension of racing by
traveling abroad to take part in an event in Slovenia.
It is understood the team will argue while it traveled to
Slovenia to race it did not act outside the rules because of the timeline of
its trip.
The Federazione Ciclistica Italiana (FCI), apparently acting on reports in the sports media in Italy, said it had learned of allegations that some cyclists may have broken the strict ban on competing during the lock-down, introduced on March 9th.
A statement said: “On June 30th the FCI’s federal prosecutor’s
office opened an investigation dossier regarding the participation of FCI
members in competitions held during the emergency health period and,
consequently, the suspension of sport and competitive activity.”
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