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Godefroot dismisses doping claims

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GHENT, Belgium -- Former Telekom general manager Walter Godefroot has denied having any involvement in the use of performance enhancing drugs among the team's riders a decade ago.

Godefroot's denial on Tuesday comes two weeks after former Telekom team leader Bjarne Riis became the first rider to admit to having used performance enhancing drugs while winning the Tour de France.

The Dane, who won the race in 1996, alleged that Godefroot turned a blind eye to drug use within the team.

"I did not organize any doping in our cycling team, nor finance it," Godefroot told a news conference.

The Belgian said he also intended to sue former masseur Jef d'Hont who alleged in a recent book that the team -- now known as T-Mobile -- had encouraged riders to use the banned blood booster EPO.

"I won't put Jef d'Hont on trial here... I have decided to take legal action against him in the coming weeks."

In his book, published last month, d'Hont said systematic doping took place within the team between 1992 and 1996.

Since its publication, Germans Erik Zabel and Rolf Aldag, who rode for Telekom when team leaders Riis and German Jan Ullrich won the Tour de France in 1996 and 1997 respectively, admitted to using EPO in the mid-1990s.

Three other German Telekom riders and two team doctors also admitted to doping at the team. Ullrich, who retired from racing in April, previously denied using illegal substances.

In the book, d'Hont said both Riis (1996) and Ullrich (1997) used erythropoietin (EPO). He said the Telekom medical team encouraged Ullrich to use EPO in 1996.

"Jef d'Hont knows perfectly well that in those days, I never would have allowed any medication to be taken without knowing its effects and side effects," Godefroot added.

Di Luca summoned

Giro d'Italia winner Danilo Di Luca and third-place finisher Eddy Mazzoleni are among several Italian athletes who will be summoned for questioning in a four-year-old doping investigation, the Gazzetta dello Sport reported Tuesday.

Giuseppe Gibilisco, the 2003 world pole vault champion and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist, and Nicola Vizzoni, the silver medalist in the hammer throw at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, will also be questioned by the Italian Olympic Committee, according to the report.

CONI would not confirm the report, although it said an announcement is expected in the coming days.

The athletes have been linked to the "oil for drugs" case, which began in 2003 when investigators started looking into the relationship of several doctors with athletes.

CONI sent its inspectors to make surprise doping tests on Di Luca, Mazzoleni, Gilberto Simoni and Riccardo Ricco in their hotels last week after stage 17 of the Giro.

Results of the tests are expected in the next week.

"I don't have anything to fear. We're talking about a case from 2004 (before the Pro Tour code came into effect)," Di Luca was quoted as saying in Friday's Gazzetta.

Di Luca won the Giro on Sunday for his first major tour title. The previous Giro champion, Ivan Basso, and five other riders withdrew before the race following allegations of involvement in the Operation Puerto scandal in Spain.

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