The International Ski Federation (FIS) has issued two-year bans to three Austrian cross-country skiers barred by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in April.

In a statement on Thursday, FIS said Roland Diethard, Johannes Eder and Martin Tauber had committed anti-doping rule violations following raids on team hotels at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin.

The three skiers, along with team-mate Juergen Pinter, were given lifetime bans from the IOC after the raids uncovered blood transfusion equipment at their lodgings.

FIS said that the allegations against Pinter had been dismissed by their own doping panel "since they did not meet the standard of proof required to sanction the athlete according to the FIS anti-doping rules."

The federation said Eder had violated FIS rules concerning the use or attempted use of a prohibited substance or method and the possession of prohibited substances and methods.

Diethard and Tauber were found to have committed the latter offence.

FIS said that all three could appeal within three weeks to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Diethard, Eder, Tauber and Pinter have already appealed to CAS over the original sanction handed down by the IOC.

Two members of the Austrian Olympic biathlon team, Wolfgang Rottmann and Wolfgang Perner, were also given lifelong bans by the IOC but had already announced their retirement from the sport.

(Xinhua News Agency November 23, 2007)