43 year-old Enrico Di Martino, the Sicilian amateur cyclist known in racing circles as “Dima,” has been provisionally suspended by Italy’s National Anti-Doping Court (TNA) for a second time, this time for violating Article 2.3 of the Anti-Doping Sports Code — evading, refusing or failing to submit to a required doping control ordered by NADO Italia.
The suspension, announced by NADO Italia on Friday 12 June, marks a grim second chapter in Di Martino’s history with anti-doping authorities. A decade ago, Italy’s National Anti-Doping Court handed him a four-year ban — from September 2016 to July 2020 — after he tested positive for Recombinant Erythropoietin (EPO) following his victory at the 2015 Granfondo Città di Scicli.
The irony of the new charge is stark. Rather than testing positive for a banned substance, Di Martino is now accused of refusing to face testing altogether — the anti-doping equivalent of fleeing the scene.
Di Martino’s story resonates beyond the doping file. A product of the Fausto Coppi club in Ragusa, he emerged as one of Sicily’s most promising junior talents in the late 1990s, defeating future WorldTour professionals including Filippo Pozzato and Damiano Cunego in sprint finishes before homesickness cut short a potential professional career.
Under the WADA Code, a second anti-doping rule violation can carry significantly heavier consequences, with sanctions potentially extending to eight years or even a lifetime ban depending on the nature of the offences.
As with all provisional suspensions, Di Martino is presumed innocent unless and until a formal hearing is held and a verdict rendered by the TNA. He is, however, barred from participating in sport in any capacity while the case proceeds.
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