Olympic chiefs hammered out a no-nonsense message to drug cheats
yesterday, banning for life six Austrian Winter Olympians for
possession of doping equipment and collaboration.
The six, two biathletes and four cross-country skiers from the
2006 Turin Olympics, were given the career-ending penalties after a
raid by Italian police uncovered blood-transfusion equipment at the
Games last year.
"With this decision the IOC has taken a major step against
doping. It was not about a positive test but was about possession,
complicity," the International Olympic Committee's disciplinary
commission chief Thomas Bach told reporters.
"By this decision I think the IOC shows a clear determination to
fight doping with zero tolerance."
Wolfgang Perner, Roland Diethart, Johannes Eder, Juergen Pinter,
Martin Tauber and Wolfgang Rottman were banned after a tip-off from
the IOC led Italian authorities to raid a private house in which
athletes were living during the Olympics.
"The Italian report showed very clearly that a great quantity of
medical equipment had been seized in this apartment used by
athletes. This goes from saline solution, syringes, bags for
storing blood and many other things," Bach told reporters in
Beijing where the IOC were meeting.
Blood-stained handkerchiefs
"Handkerchiefs were found with blood stains. And other equipment
was found to be blood-stained.
"Some athletes gave testimony in writing, some did not. In
evaluating all this and the explanations we came to the conclusion
that these athletes committed a violation of the anti-doping rules
of the IOC by possessing medical devices and material.
"This possession alone was enough to constitute an offence...a
violation of the code.
"What makes this case distinctive are the circumstances around,"
Bach continued.
"You have to imagine athletes living in apartments during the
Games surrounded by blood bags and syringes. All these
devices...this means it is almost impossible that these athletes
did not know what was happening.
"If you live in a room with another athlete, or eat together,
drink together, you can draw the conclusion that these athletes
knew from each other what was happening and were even
collaborating.
"This required a severe sanction because behaving in such a way
shows a kind of mentality which the commission did not deem to be
acceptable for people in the Olympic Games.
"So finally the Executive Board unanimously agreed to declare
six of these Austrian athletes permanently ineligible for Olympic
Games. This means they cannot participate in any capacity - as
athletes, or coaches, anything."
Bach said the bans would have no bearing on the Austrian city of
Salzburg's bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Salzburg, together with competitors South Korea's Pyeongchang
and Russia's Sochi had earlier given presentations to the IOC.
The IOC will vote for the 2014 bid city in Guatemala on July
4.
(China Daily via Agnecies April 26, 2007)