ITALY: Italian police raid Austrian biathlon and cross-country teams' Winter Olympics quarters

Record ID: 331778

  • Title: ITALY: Italian police raid Austrian biathlon and cross-country teams' Winter Olympics quarters
  • Date: 19th February 2006
  • Summary: (W1) TURIN, ITALY (FEBRUARY 18/19, 2006) (REUTERS - NO ACCESS WIRELESS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (IOC) SPOKESWOMAN GISELLE DAVIES SAYING: "The reason why the tests this evening were done on this specific group of athletes was that the IOC was acting on information given to it by the World Anti-Doping Agency in a report which discussed the possible presence of a certain Mr Walther Mayer. Mr Walther Mayer was sanctioned in 2002 by the International Olympic Committee for blood manipulation offences and banned from the Olympic Games until and including the Vancouver Games in 2010. So working on the information that there's the possible presence, that he could have been in contact with the athletes, the tests this evening were conducted"
  • Embargoed: 6th March 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAA7TQ6I6I7GARAG8R6KQ8FRN9J
  • Story Text: Italian police raided the Austrian biathlon and cross-country teams' Winter Olympics quarters on Saturday (February 18) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed that unannounced out-of-competition doping tests had been conducted on "a number of Austrian cross-country and biathlon athletes".
    It added: "In this instance, the IOC has acted on information it received in a report given to it by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) which indicates the possible presence of Mr Walther Mayer in the private accommodation of the Austrian biathlon and cross country teams.
    "Given that Mr Mayer has been declared ineligible to participate in all Olympic Games up to and including Vancouver 2010, based on his involvement in blood manipulation offences committed in Salt Lake City 2002, the IOC is fulfilling its responsibility to conduct anti-doping controls on athletes who might have been under his influence," the statement said.
    Just before 1am local time (2400 GMT) two men were taken away by police from a building in San Sicario, the venue for the biathlon events at the Games. A car with Austrian team markings was outside the building.
    One of the men was carrying Olympic accreditation and the other man's head was covered by a policeman's jacket. They were taken away in a marked police car. Policemen on the scene refused to comment.
    Secretary-general of the Austrian Olympic Committee Heinz Jungwirth earlier told Reuters they would be protesting to the IOC. He said that police and doping controllers from the IOC had arrived at Pragelato during the course of the evening.
    From two private buildings housing the Austrian teams, they drove all the country's biathlon and cross country competitors -- 15 in total, all men -- the 5km to Sestriere where they were tested. They were then returned to their bases in Pragelato.
    "The athletes do not feel guilty -- they haven't done anything wrong," he said. "We are going to protest vigorously the way this was done...We are in favour of controls but these kind of methods, turning up at such a late hour are not acceptable. We are in competition tomorrow and this is harassment."
    Jungwirth said he expected to receive the results of the tests "as early as possible tomorrow".
    IOC Director of Communications Giselle Davies told Reuters Television the unannounced doping tests on the athletes had been conducted at a clinic in Sestriere near the Olympic village.
    "Everything went smoothly. There were no complaints given," she said. "It is sad testing has to happen."
    But she added clean athletes had to be protected from the cheats.
    The IOC has run over 500 tests since the Games began, many of them unannounced, she said. "They are an important fight against doping."
    There are nine cross-country athletes at the Games. Austria have yet to win a medal in any of the three men's races to date. There are three men's cross-country races remaining, including Sunday's 4x10-km relay.
    All six of Austria's biathletes are also men, according to the Olympic News Service. There have been three men's biathlon races so far at the 2006 Winter Games and not one Austrian medallist in the sport.
    There are two more biathlon men's races due before the end of the Feb. 10-26 Olympics. The next is scheduled for Tuesday.
    The Italian government introduced strict doping laws before it won the right to host the Turin Olympics and has refused to relax them to correspond with IOC rules which foresee only non-penal sanctions for drugs users.
    Even a last-minute compromise between the IOC and the host country on who would handle the doping tests during the Games failed to include a moratorium on launching criminal procedures against athletes found using banned substances.
    That left the IOC concerned that athletes could be subjected to police raids and face prison sentences if they tested positive.
    The International Biathlon Union (IBU) on Friday (February 17) banned Russian athlete Olga Pyleva for two years after she tested positive for drugs at the Olympics. Pyleva, who won the 15-km individual biathlon silver medal, said she had simply taken medicine prescribed by her doctor for pain relief.
    Referring to her case IOC President Jacques Rogge said: "Doping cases are things that happen in Olympic Games. We have to tackle that and we are doing that with great energy."
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