Danilo Napolitano Banned for 20 Years for Doping Violations as Junior Team Sports Director

Former Italian professional cyclist Danilo Napolitano has been handed a 20-year ban for anti-doping violations committed during his tenure as sports director of junior team Salus Seregno De Rosa. The National Anti-Doping Tribunal (TNA) also issued an eight-year suspension to Marco Moretto, president of the same club based in Monza e Brianza, Lombardy.

Napolitano, 45, was found to have violated Articles 2.6 and 2.8 of the WADA Code, which relate to the possession and administration — or attempted administration — of prohibited substances. The severity of the sentence reflects the fact that the offences occurred within a youth cycling team, an aggravating factor which the tribunal deemed particularly serious.

The Sicilian-born former rider turned professional in 2004 with Team LPR-Piacenza and quickly established himself as one of Italy's premier sprinters. In 2005 he won Coppa Bernocchi, the Giro di Romagna, and a stage of the Settimana Coppi & Bartali. After moving to Lampre-Fondital, he claimed two more editions of Coppa Bernocchi and, most notably, Stage 9 of the 2007 Giro d'Italia. He retired from professional racing in 2017 with 38 career victories.

The case against Salus Seregno first emerged in spring 2026, when both Napolitano and Moretto were provisionally suspended. Regional FCI president Stefano Pedrinazzi initially defended the club's reputation, describing them as wronged parties — a position that the tribunal's final ruling dismissed.

Blasting News reports that while standard WADA sanctions for such infractions carry a maximum four-year ban under normal circumstances, the tribunal applied the maximum multiplier given the involvement of underage athletes. The defence argued that the substances were never administered, but the tribunal ruled that possession alone, within a junior team environment, constituted sufficient grounds for the extended penalty.

Napolitano's career highlights — 38 professional wins including a Giro d'Italia stage — now stand in stark contrast to one of the longest bans ever handed to a technical director in Italian cycling. The decision sends a clear message about the protection of young athletes in the sport.

Sources

• OA Sport
• Tuttobiciweb
• Blasting News