Francesco Conconi

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Francesco Conconi (born April 19, 1935 in Como ) is an Italian sports scientist and biochemist and former amateur cyclist. He developed the so-called Conconi test to determine the anaerobic threshold in order to spare the athletes the many blood tests.

biography

Conconi graduated from the University of Modena with a degree in medicine in 1959. He worked in various university clinics before he was appointed Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Ferrara in 1967.

For years Conconi devoted himself to research on the doping agent erythropoietin (EPO) on behalf of the IOC , supposedly for the purpose of discovering urine tests to detect it.

Investigations into EPO doping were opened against him for the first time in 1996 after a report by trainer and anti-doping activist Sandro Donati, which had been under lock and key for two years by the Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano , surfaced.

In the end , charges were brought against Conconi and his student Michele Ferrari , Lance Armstrong's medical officer at the time . The charges were: formation of a criminal organization , violation of the drug law , falsification of documents , embezzlement , abuse of office and sporting fraud through doping. After years of proceedings, in March 2003 all charges except sports fraud were dismissed for formal reasons, and this last point was also acquitted six months later due to the statute of limitations . The judge Franca Oliva made it clear in her judgment that she considered the administration of doping drugs by Conconi and his colleagues Ilario Casoni and Giovanni Grazzi to athletes to be proven. However, this promotion of doping could only be proven in decrypted patient files for the years 1992 to 1995, for the period after that, which did not fall under the statute of limitations, there were neither records nor confessions.

Law enforcement didn't change the fact that he was hugely popular with his athletes and his university. From 1992 to 1998 he was Vice Rector and from 1998 to 2004 Rector of the University of Ferrara. From 1978 to 2005 he was President of the District Sports Federation of the CONI of the Ferrara region.

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ^ F. Conconi, M. Ferrari, PG Ziglio et al .: Determination of the anaerobic threshold by a noninvasive field test in runners. In: J Appl Physiol Respir Environ Exerc Physiol. 52 (4), Apr 1982, pp. 869-873; F. Conconi, G. Grazzi, I. Casoni et al: The Conconi test: methodology after 12 years of application. In: Int J Sports Med. 17 (7), Oct 1996, pp. 509-519. The test is mainly used in team sports, as it can be used to test an entire team at once, cf. Arnd Krüger , Dieter Niedlich: 100 ball game skill tests . Hofmann, Schorndorf 1985, ISBN 3-7780-9811-X .
  2. ^ David Walsh : Cycling: Sad end to Roche's road . In: The Times . March 28, 2004.
  3. ^ Sandro Donati : Anti-doping the Fraud Behind the Stage . Play the Game website . November 16, 2000.
  4. ↑ Conconi trial aborted: Black day for Italy's anti-doping fight . In: Spiegel Online . November 24, 2003.
  5. ^ David Walsh: Cycling: Sad end to Roche's road . In: The Times. March 28, 2004 (part 2)
  6. ↑ dpa via Radsport-News.com: Court convicts Conconi morally for doping . March 11, 2004.
personal data
SURNAME Conconi, Francesco
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian amateur cyclist, sports scientist and biochemist
DATE OF BIRTH April 19, 1935
PLACE OF BIRTH Como