(8th August 2012)

Two recent stories, both related to doping, throw light on the different attitude of journalists, columnists, citizens and even Authorities.

London, 6th August: Alex Schwazer, our 50km race walk Olympic champion, is found positive in to doping during a test done on 30th July. The news has barely the time to spread, that the athlete is banned from London, where he should have competed on Saturday morning. The newspapers are full of eloquent comments:

-Franco Arese, the Italian Athletic Federation president (Fidal): “It’s better a medal less and fight this situation. (…) We must be hard against people committing such mistakes.”
-Gianni Petrucci, CONI President: “The decision is clear, we cannot compromise on this. Less medals, more cleaning up. The clean people must stay out of this bad story.”
-Aldo Cazzullo writes on “Il Corriere”: “the Schwazer case will be a scarlet letter on the Italian expedition to London 2012 Games.”
More, serious decisions are expected by the Carabinieri Corps, since Schwazer is part of their sport division. The Corps’ High Command is said to have already contacted the CONI president for the adoption of “serious measures”.

Ascoli, 14th July: after our petition to the Health Ministry, the rider Luca Innocenzi, is suspended from the local Quintana. Innocenzi, in fact, has been condemned last year in first instance after an investigation about doping because “he committed fraudulent acts on the horse Naval War” before the 2006 Foligno Quintana. The Perugia Tribunal’s sentence is unmistakable, and even more are the phone interceptions. We’ll publish them here, so everybody can understand what we are talking about.

The Health Ministry’s Palii Ordinance, born to give a minimal protection to the horses exploited in these anachronistic competitions, rightly forbids the participation of riders guilty of doping and mistreatments.

But this time the reaction has been completely different from the what happened with Schwazer: the Ascoli Quintana organizers become indignant for Innocenzi’s exclusion, while the head of the team he should ride for, urgently petitions Ascoli Tribunal, which – with a rapidity envied by all the Italian tribunals - first allows Innocenzi to run in the 14th July palio, then sentences the Palii Ordinance is not applicable because “Innocenzi was condemned only in first instance”.

Innocenzi runs and wins the 5th August Quintana (aired live nation-wide by Raitre), surrounded by the joy of the organizers and his team, the silence of the Ministry and the shame of the many citizens powerlessly witnessing to this bad image of Ascoli and the “Little Italy” of palii.

There are also articles by some journalists who have forgotten their duty to report the truth, such as Eduardo Parenti, the author of an exalting biography of Innocenzi, where he “forgets” to mention the sentence for doping. Instead “Cavallo Magazine” writes Innocenzi “triumphed on Dorillas, thus going over the polemics following his initial exclusion from the event.”
Worrisome silence from Veterinary Order, from which we would have expected a strong reaction, in homage to their ethic code.

In the various statements about the Schwazer case, it is repeated – rightly so – that is needed to severely and quickly act against who commit such mistakes, and make an example out of them.

What should we conclude, them? That instead in the palii it is OK to dope horses to one’s pleasure and continue, undisturbed, to use them? That ethic and moral stand out only in some fields, while in others are brushed under the carpet because of the high economical interests at stake?
For Alex Schwazer, the disqualification and public crucifixion on the media have been immediate, without any need of trials or tribunals. For Innocenzi, already sentenced in first instance, there has been a “riot” against who dared to ask for his exclusion, and the lawyers obtained his admission to the Ascoli Quintana.

We really want to keep on swallowing the tale of the palii as “healthy historical-cultural traditions”?


READ THE PHONE INTERCEPTIONS BETWEEN INNOCENZI AND THE VETERINARIAN UMBERTO RICCI BEFORE 2006 FOLIGNO QUINTANA

READ OTHER INTERCEPTIONS CONNECTED TO 2006 FOLIGNO QUINTANA


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