MATTEO PRIAMO DECLARED INELIGIBLE for a period of four years

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld the appeal filed by the “Ufficio delle procura anti-doping” (UPA) of the Italian national Olympic Committee (CONI) against the decision of 27 February 2009, issued by the CONI National Anti-Doping Tribunal (TNA) concerning the Italian cyclist Matteo Priamo.  The case of Matteo Priamo was referred to the TNA following a statement of his team mate Emmanuelle Sella who confessed that he used EPO CERA provided by Priamo in 2008.  However, the TNA exonerated Matteo Priamo of any anti-doping rule infraction due to lack of evidence.

The UPA CONI filed a statement of appeal at the CAS on 14 April 2009 to request that Matteo Priamo be suspended for a period of four years.  The CAS Panel in charge of this case has upheld the appeal and has declared the athlete ineligible for a period of four years, commencing on 27 February 2009.  Contrary to the findings of the TNA, the CAS Panel considered that a violation of Articles 2.6 and 2.8 of the World Anti-Doping Code (possession of prohibited substances and administration to any athlete of any prohibited substance) was sufficiently established to declare that Matteo Priamo was guilty of an anti-doping violation.

In 2008, both Emanuelle Sella and Matteo Priamo were members of the team “CSF Navigare”; Matteo Priamo won the sixth stage of the Giro d’Italia 2008.