Italian cycling fans believe making doping legal is the best way to save their troubled sport, according to a popular survey on Wednesday.
The Astana team pulled out of the Tour de France on Tuesday after Kazakh rider Alexander Vinokourov tested positive in the latest in a string of doping scandals to rock cycling.
Italy has especially suffered, with 2006 Giro d’Italia champion Ivan Basso serving a two-year ban for attempted doping and several other riders being implicated in probes.
A survey on www.gazzetta.it, Italy’s most popular sport website, showed 19,5% of respondents wanted doping to be legalised while a press ban on covering cycling was the second most popular proposal with 18,3% of the vote.
Halting the sport for one or two seasons to drive out cheats was the third most backed suggestion among nearly 4 000 people who voted, with six other proposals gaining smaller percentages. – Reuters