Baldini believes he is conspiracy victim
Saturday, 2 August 2008 16:53Italian foil fencer Andrea Baldini, who failed a drugs test, is to have his B-sample analysed next week, according to the Gazzetta dello sport on Saturday.
The world number one, who faces being banned if the B-sample taken at European Championships in Kiev last month comes back positive, told the newspaper that he had been a victim of a conspiracy.
'I do not have any proof of a conspiracy. But if I did not take the drug which is found in the samples... it could have been put in a bottle or a flask,' said the 22-year-old, a favourite to win gold at the Beijing Games.
The affair has strained relations between Baldini and his Beijing stand-in Andrea Cassara, with Baldini saying he had been expecting a sympathy call from the understudy.
But Cassara hit back, telling news agency Ansa: 'I understand that Baldini is very confused but it is not right to say certain things.'
Baldini underwent two anti-doping controls in the week leading up to the European championships, both negative.
The Italian has spent the last 24 hours protesting his innocence, saying on Saturday that he had only taken antibiotics and had informed testers before the control.
The Italian fencing federation (FIS) announced on Friday that Baldini had controlled positive for the banned diuretic furosemide, which is often used to 'mask' other illegal substances.
In its statement the FIS said it had asked for Baldini's second sample to be examined 'as quickly as possible'.
'In the light of this positive test the Italian national Olympic committee has excluded the athlete from the Olympic team,' the federation added.
