Italian Esports racer Luca Zanasca suspended after positive anti-doping test

Italian anti-doping authorities have suspended Esports athlete Luca Zanasca after he tested positive for the banned steroid Stanozolol in an anti-doping test.

40-year-old Zanasca represented Italy in the 2023 Esports World Championships after qualifying via the Continental selection process. He finished 57th behind winner Bjørn Andreasson of Denmark.

He previously competed in road racing at Continental level between 2008 and 2012 and lists himself as working as a Senior Manager of Development for Assos on Linkedin.

Zanasca rode for Team Castelli pb Elite Esports but the team has announced that he will no longer compete for the team in events on the Zwift platform.

The Italian anti-doping authorities do not specify when the test was taken but Zanasca faces an investigation and trial before any ban from competition is confirmed. Doping is also a crime in Italy and so Zanasca also risks a formal police investigation and possible criminal charges.

He has not made any comment since his suspension was announced by the Italian anti-doping authorities. In an interview with the Bicidastrada.it website, before the 2023 Esports World Championships, Zanasca explained how selection for the Italian national team meant he had become part of the anti-doping testing pool.

“Until the end of the month I’ve got to behave like a pro rider: ADAMS, whereabouts and a 60-minute testing window,” he said in February.

If found guilty of doping, Zanasca faces a ban of up to four years.