Second Edition News for December 11, 2002

Edited by Chris Henry

Mapei's Squinzi talks to Le Monde

In an interview with French newspaper Le Monde, Mapei owner Giorgio Squinzi revealed once again his disappointment following his long running sponsorship of the immensely successful cycling team. Despite the team's 600+ victories, Squinzi said plainly that he feels defeated, beaten by the blight of doping.

"I tried through every method to fight the problem, to save cycling and make it credible and clean," Squinzi told Le Monde. "But I lost. My team, Mapei, won more than 600 races on the road; on the other hand, morally, I was subjected to a personal reversal."

"I requested an opinion poll with the following question: 'Which team do you think did the most to fight doping?' The result stunned me: Marco Pantani's Mercatone Uno team was listed ahead of us and Festina! A total failure."

Squinzi was asked bluntly whether he had any doubts in hindsight about the victories of his own team. "I began to understand the reality. I would say that, since Tony Rominger's victory in the 1995 Tour of Italy, Mapei never won another grand tour. In my opinion, the big stage races are the epitome of blood doping. I have confidence in my riders who won the prestigious one day races such as Liège-Bastogne-Liège or Paris-Roubaix, because they did it with an acceptable hematocrit that removed any suspicion."

The Mapei owner is able to point to one day in particular which convinced him it was time to pull out of cycling. On May 30, following the police raids on the 2002 Giro d'Italia, the straw broke the camel's back. Mortified to learn that images of his Mapei staff in handcuffs reached the CNN television network in the United States, Squinzi knew it was the end. Concerned telephone calls from his clients around the world only sealed the deal.

Few observers may have doubted the success of the Mapei team, which was without question a dominant force in the peloton. Squinzi, however, firmly rejects the notion that his company benefited from the venture. "If my company is a world leader, it's because we spend 5% of our budget on research every year. Cycling has only served to increase our notoriety internationally."

"This sport is irreversibly impregnated by the culture of doping," he said. "The mentality that rules is that of cheating, from professionals down to amateurs. Mapei was created to promote a new ethic, but the public didn't understand."

Squinzi lists as his greatest emotion the team's first Paris-Roubaix victory, won by Franco Ballerini in 1995. On the other hand, having never won the Tour de France remains his greatest disappointment on the sporting level. Squinzi revealed he was prepared to celebrate a Rominger victory in Paris in 1994, but Rominger lasted only into the second week of the race, forced out by a stomach virus.

What does the future hold? Mapei will not enter into sponsorship of any other sporting events, Squinzi insisted. Despite a number of propositions, he feels no other sport can guarantee the same level of world-wide exposure as cycling. So what about continued sponsorship of cycling? Word recently came through that Mapei would continue its sponsorship of the Australian Institute of Sport's U23 squad. In his interview with Le Monde, Squinzi does not appear to be making any promises, though neither does he rule out additional involvement in the sport, presumably on a much smaller scale.

"I'll wait a little while and evaluate the quality of my investment," he said. "In total, I've spent around 150 million Euro. But I believe it is possible to advertise and spend less without degrading the brand image."

Source: Le Monde

(All rights reserved/Copyright Knapp Communications Pty Limited 2002)