Cycling: Pantani's conviction overturned

An Italian appeals court has overturned a conviction against flamboyant cyclist Marco Pantani for "sporting fraud" involving his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs.

The Italian, considered one of the world's best mountain riders, was handed a three-month suspended jail term last year, fined and banned for six months for fraud on the basis of alleged use of doping to improve his performances, a charge dating back to a 1995 drugs test.

But an appeals court in Bologna overturned the ruling, saying doping "is not seen by law as fraud", Italy's ANSA news agency reported.

The original court ruling was based on evidence that the level of red blood cells in Pantani's blood was much higher than normal when he was tested in hospital after a crash during a race in 1995.