Contador willing to testify in Italy

Alberto Contador has said that he is prepared to go to Italy and testify before the National Olympic Committee (CONI) concerning Operación Puerto. "If they should ask me to do that, then I wouldn't have any problem with appearing there to make a statement," he said at a press conference Wednesday.

CONI announced earlier this month that it intended to question non-Italian riders concerning the Spanish doping scandal. Italy's new anti-doping regulation stipulates that foreign riders can be banned from racing on Italian soil if proven to be linked to performance-enhancing activities. This season, the ban could concern the Giro d'Italia, the World Championships (in Varese) and the Tour de France, as this year's race will cross the border into Italy.

Contador's statements came in a press conference introducing the new Team Astana in Albuquerque, New Mexico. "The Tour de France is my big goal and also the Olympic Games," the 2007 Tour de France winner said according to AP. "It's a big event, one that happens only every four years. I'd like to do well in the Olympic Games. But the rest of the focus will be the same as in the past."