Tonina Pantani, the mother of Italian cycling star Marco Pantani, who died in 2004, has called for new investigations into the circumstances of his death. In Milan, she told press representatives that Pantani could very well have been the victim of a conspiracy.
The Italian had won both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in 1998. The following year, while in the lead, he was pulled out of the race by the organizers of the Giro d'Italia. Pantani never recovered from that. On February 14, 2004, he died of a cocaine overdose in a Rimini hotel. After the conclusion of the Tour de France that year, the French Commission of Inquiry issued a controversial report on the use of EPO during the 1998 Tour, which also includes Pantani's name.
# Marco Pantani's mother Tonina accompanied him from the beginning of his career.
Tonina Pantani was recently granted access to the court files. The inspection of the files raised open questions for them. So she suspects that Pantani "taken out of circulation" should be used in order not to report on the extensive use of doping preparations in the peloton.
"I want the case reopened because I'm looking for answers," she stated. "I want to know how he died. My biggest concern is that he was killed. I think he roused someone. He wanted to talk about doping and how doping was a big problem.”
Tonina Panatani also refers to a phone call Pantani made to the local police an hour before his death. “He has complained about people harassing him. But that was never really investigated, ”said the mother of the last Giro Tour Double winner.
How and whether the case will be taken up again is currently open.