Sandro Donati

Alessandro " Sandro " Donati ( born June 14, 1947 in Monte Porzio Catone ) is an Italian sports scientist, consultant to the World Anti-Doping Agency and former athletics coach.

Activity as a trainer

Sandro Donati was born the son of a farmer near Frascati. He was in his youth a good middle-distance runner, his career choice was coach. In 1981, he was after seven years of training with two statements Italy coach for runners over 800 and 1500 meters. Shortly after taking over as coach of the Italian Federation, Professor Francesco Conconi, a former amateur cyclist and biochemist, contact Donati and offered him his services in the form of blood doping program on, but he refused. After the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, he was therefore replaced as coach for the medium-range - after Donati's opinion, in order not to stand further experiments with drugs in ways - and he took over the training of the short distance runner.

At the 1987 World Championships in Rome, there was a scandal because of the long jump athletes of the Italian Giovanni Evangelisti was measured at 8.38 meters, which he had won the bronze medal. It turned out afterwards by computer analyzes, including the German coach Helmar Hommel, found that Evangelistis last jump could have amounted to a maximum of 7.80 meters, so from a conscious wrong decision of the judges in favor of her compatriot Evangelisti, later return of his medal had been assumed. Supposedly, this was at the direction of the President of the Italian Athletics Federation ( FIDAL ), Primo Nebbiolo happen, but in reality without the knowledge of Evangelisti. Nebbiolo then had to resign from his post. It was Donati, the first official expressed doubts about the accuracy of the measurement and had operated the Enlightenment via video; then he was fired as coach.

Activities against doping

Sandro Donati wrote a book in 1989 about the practices Conconis ( campioni senza valori, German " winner without values ​​"), which was not delivered because the publisher had been bribed, as Donati later brought in his own words in experience. He was still head of the Science Committee of the Italian National Olympic Committee ( CONI ) in 1992 and two years later wrote a dossier on the doping practices in the Italian sports for the President of CONI, Mario Pescante, as well as its Secretary General Raffaele Pegnozzi. He urged the two officials on his findings forward, so it will come to accusations, but they did nothing. The dossier can be found among others in addition to Conconi ( who at the time was sitting together with Donati in the Anti -Doping Committee of the CONI ) the name of the doctor Michele Ferrari, the (2014 incumbent ) President of the Italian cycling federation, Renato Di Rocco, as well as of racers, including Moreno Argentin, Guido Bontempi, Mario Cipollini, Francesco Moser and Maurizio Fondriest.

The end of 1996, the dossier was published in the media world. The result was that the working conditions for Donati constantly deteriorated. The budget of his department was shortened from two million to 50,000 euros, 42 employees remained only two that were also cut by her colleagues at the CONI, and at times the phone lines were cut, the information of Donati. "In September 2000, the President of the International Cycling Union Hein Verbruggen CONI asked at a press conference on, to deprive me of my work order because I was advised not to provide Marco Pantani for the Olympic team in Sydney (he had catastrophic blood values ​​, the more likely for a one-month stay in the hospital as a training for the Olympics saying). " between August 1998 and October 2000 as Donati further, the former representative of the anti-doping laboratory in Rome and the head of CONI had eleven times threatened him to sue him what it never came. Also, an attempt was made to manipulate the urine sample of a serviced Donati athlete to make himself untrustworthy. In addition, turned out within the framework of surveys, it is therefore no doping cases in Italian football was because the players were almost never tested. The strict anti -doping law in Italy from 2000, not least due to the efforts of Donati.

In November 2000, the Conference Play the Game was held in Copenhagen, an initiative that fights for sport without doping and corruption. Donati should be one of the keynote speakers, who, however, two days earlier canceled because the CONI until this time refused its necessary consent to his participation in the conference. Only the protest of conference participants and a fax from one of the organizers brought CONI Secretary General Pagnozzi " reluctant " to give consent. " The permission came so late that we had set as a last point on our program list Donati. After the drama of the leading doping hunters in the world, it was an unforgettable finale with a standing ovation of the participants. "In 2007, Donati, who had left the CONI in 2006, was honored by Play the Game.

In October 2012, the Italian cross-country skier Manuela Di Centa announced Donati to sue for libel because he had accused her in a documentary of doping.

Today (as of 2014) is Sandro Donati as adviser to the World Anti- Doping Agency (WADA ) operates.

Publications (selection )

• L' organizzazione dell'allenamento. Società stampa sportiva, Rome 1983.
• Campioni senza valore. Ponte alle Grazie, Florence 1989.
• Lo del sport doping. Chi lo subisce, chi lo combatte. Edizioni Gruppo Abele EGA, Rome 2012, ISBN 8865790334th