A three-month ban served by Giro d'Italia winner Danilo Di Luca late last year has been upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The Italian rider was banned by the Italian Olympic Committee in October for frequenting Carlo Santuccione, a doctor accused of supplying doping products to athletes.

Di Luca appealed to sport's top court in Switzerland, despite already serving the suspension, but the appeal has been rejected.

In a separate case, Di Luca was cleared of doping by a commission earlier this month because of insufficent evidence.

CONI's anti-doping prosecutor had wanted Di Luca to be banned for two years for showing abnormal hormone levels in a dope test carried out after the 17th stage of last May's Giro.

The LPR rider is due to defend his title when the 2008 Giro starts on May 10.

Fellow Italian rider Alessandro Petacchi, troubled by flu in the run-up to the Giro, is also awaiting a CAS ruling shortly on whether he should serve a ban for testing positive for salbutamol during last year's race.

CONI's anti-doping prosecutor said he should be banned for a year but the Italian Cycling Federation rejected the request and the decision now rests with CAS.

Reuters