Rogge may face summons in ski coach defamation case

IOC president Jacques Rogge could be summoned to appear before an Austrian court to face accusations of making defamatory comments about banned Olympic ski coach Walter Mayer.

VIENNA, Austria — IOC president Jacques Rogge could be summoned to appear before an Austrian court to face accusations of making defamatory comments about banned Olympic ski coach Walter Mayer.
    The Austrian is suing Rogge for alleging during the Torino Winter Olympics that Mayer was involved in doping. Mayer is also suing World Anti-Doping Agency chief Dick Pound for defamation.
    Earlier this year, a Vienna court ruled that Rogge could not be tried in Austria because he made his comments abroad. But a second Vienna court has overturned that decision, Mayer's lawyer, Herwig Hasslacher, and court officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.
    A court spokeswoman, Alexandra Mathes, said it was up to the judge to decide whether Rogge should be called to testify. However, it's unlikely he would be forced to attend.
    The IOC said Thursday it had received no request for Rogge to appear before the court.
    Hasslacher said he expected a trial date to be set within three to four months.
    Mayer was banned from the Olympics following allegations of blood doping at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, but traveled to Torino for the 2006 Games.
    He fled Italy after police raided the living quarters of the Austrian biathlon and cross-country ski teams in search of banned substances and equipment. Mayer was admitted to a psychiatric hospital after ramming his car into a police blockade over the Austrian border.

— The Associated Press