Austria Fears Crackdown

The Age

Saturday February 25, 2006

By JACQUELIN MAGNAY, TURIN

AUSTRIAN sports officials fear their country could be banned from future Olympic Games in the wake of the doping scandal surrounding their cross-country and biathlon athletes.

The International Olympic Committee has announced its own investigation into the alleged doping fiasco, and the Austrian Olympic Committee has followed suit, with its own inquiry.

But following revelations that the international body FIS had had disgraced coach Walter Mayer under surveillance for several weeks leading to the sensational police raids last Saturday night, the Austrian authorities now suspect that they will face the full wrath of the IOC and FIS.

"People are thinking about punishing us, even about banning us," Austrian Olympic Committee secretary-general Heinz Jungwirth said. He said he feared the team could be banned from future Games.

"There's a storm brewing at the IOC. Whether the doping tests are positive or negative doesn't matter.

"There was equipment found that was clearly not allowed, including equipment for blood transfusions. It's possible that if Austria is seen to be unwilling to investigate doping cases, then they'll punish the Austrian Olympic Committee."

Last month, international drug testers uncovered evidence of blood doping at the small hotel used by some Austrian athletes in Ramsau, the same Austrian village of the disgraced and banned Mayer. They put him under constant surveillance and pounced once he was in Italy helping the Austrian team.

The Austrians already have foreshadowed severe sanctions against two biathletes, Wolfgang Perner and Wolfgang Rottman, who fled Italy for the safety of their homeland this week.

Also ostracised from the Austrian team is the coach Emil Hoch, who also disappeared from Italy following the surprise doping raids.

This comes as the Austrian head of the ski federation, Peter Schroecksnadel, met Italian prosecutors in Turin on Thursday.

He later said the delay in releasing test results on the 10 Austrians tested in San Sicario and Pragaleto and the two out-of-competition tests on two unknown athletes at the same time in Austria meant the results were negative.

"We still don't have results . . . I think it means they're all negative. If they were positive, they would have published them immediately, no? After all that hassle," Schroecksnadel said.

IOC president Jacques Rogge said the co-ordinated raids of the IOC and Italian police were organised only hours beforehand.

"They said, 'We want Mayer'," Rogge said.

"They said, 'We will strike today. Will you please do it at the same time?' "

Rogge said Mayer, who is banned from the Olympics for 10 years after the discovery of blood doping equipment left in the Austrian team quarters at the Salt Lake City Olympics, had been under suspicion for some time.

"For me, Mayer is to be considered the man who organises doping," he said.

"The police have made steps to identify a drug dealer. And the IOC has clearly shown we will not tolerate these people, even in private accommodations."

Rogge has anticipated that some of the Austrians could be sanctioned, regardless of whether the urine and blood test results were positive or negative. He emphasised that the IOC would investigate illegal methods.

"To find somebody guilty of doping, you don't necessarily need urine and blood samples," said Rogge.

"It can also be based on circumstantial evidence."

© 2006 The Age

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