Cycling: Madonna di Campiglio was the turning point in the career of Marco Pantani in 1999, who was found dead in a Rimini apartment hotel ten years ago in February. After the procedure for clarifying the circumstances of death was reopened in recent weeks, more and more new facts are coming to light.
The police are said to have paid little attention to the crime scene. And even more interestingly, the Italian mafia is also said to be involved in the case.
The public prosecutor's office of the city of Forli has launched an investigation into Pantani's exclusion from the 1999 Giro d'Italia, for which the mafia is blamed. The Pirat was at the time pink magic dropped out of the race because of an excessive hematocrit value.
According to the prosecutor, the Neapolitan mafia arm Camorra is said to be responsible for the forced departure. La Gazetta dello Sport commented: "Pantani shouldn't reach Milan because organized crime wanted it that way." It was also pointed out that the well-known mafia boss Renato Vallanzasca should be involved in the case and should be questioned in the coming days.