ROME — Lance Armstrong’s former physician Michele Ferrari and his son Stefano have been called in for hearings next week with the Italian Olympic Committee’s anti-doping prosecutor for allegedly providing illegal drug assistance to a biathlete.
Italian biathlete Daniel Taschler and his father, Gottlieb — a vice-president of the international federation — were also called in by CONI for the hearings Sept. 4.
CONI is acting on investigations by prosecutors in Padua and Bolzano who allege that the Ferraris supplied the Taschlers with banned drugs via illegal sales methods.
Michele Ferrari was banned for life by the Italian Cycling Federation in 2002. He recently appealed to a regional court to have the ban lifted, with a decision expected later this year.
Michele Ferrari was also banned for life by the United States Anti-Doping Agency in the 2012 case that led to Armstrong being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles.
Doping is a crime in Italy, and Michele Ferrari was cleared on appeal in 2006 of criminal charges of distributing banned products to athletes.
Stefano Ferrari allegedly managed the financial aspects of his father’s doping business.
Gottlieb Taschler is a vice-president and member of the International Biathlon Union’s executive board. When the investigation was made public late last year, he announced that he would not carry out activities within the IBU.
As a biathlete, Gottlieb Taschler won a bronze medal in relay at the 1988 Calgary Olympics.
Daniel Taschler, 28, was a member of Italy’s B squad when the inquiry surfaced and he was immediately suspended.
Both the Ferraris and the Taschlers deny wrongdoing.