Sanctions still possible in Torino doping investigation

Italian investigators have turned over their report into alleged doping by Austrian athletes at the Torino Winter Olympics to the IOC, clearing the way for possible sanctions.
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Italian investigators have turned over their report into alleged doping by Austrian athletes at the Torino Winter Olympics to the IOC, clearing the way for possible sanctions.
    “This report is an important element of the IOC’s ongoing inquiry into the issue, and its receipt will now enable the IOC disciplinary commission to move ahead with its work,” the International Olympic Committee said in a statement.
    Torino prosecutors are investigating at least four members of the Austrian team, and the analysis of blood samples suggests the use of performance-enhancing drugs, Italy’s ANSA news agency reported.
    The prosecutors’ office would not confirm the report, and the IOC said it had been asked to keep the contents of the report confidential.
    The handover of the documents came a month after the IOC, frustrated at the slow pace of the investigation, urged Italian authorities to “fast-track” the process so that any disciplinary action could be taken before the winter’s major sports events.
    The report is “very informative,” IOC executive board member Denis Oswald, a member of three-man disciplinary panel, told the Austrian Press Agency. “We know have to clear up if unlawful actions are evident.”
    Police raided the lodgings of Austria’s cross-country and biathlon teams during the Torino Games last February, seizing alleged doping substances and equipment.
    The raid was triggered by the presence of former Austrian coach Walter Mayer, who was implicated in a blood doping case at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games and banned by the IOC from the Torino Olympics and 2010 Vancouver Games.
    Mayer fled Italy in the wake of the raids and crashed his car into a police blockade just over the Austrian border, ending up in a psychiatric hospital.
    In addition to the police raids, Olympic drug-testers conducted surprise checks on 10 Austrians. The tests came back negative, but the IOC continued its investigation.
    The IOC can punish athletes, coaches and teams without positive drug tests, relying instead on police evidence or proof of possession of doping substances.
    Athletes could be disqualified retroactively and have their Olympic results annulled. Austrian team officials and coaches could also be sanctioned.
    Austrian cross-country skiers Martin Tauber and Mikhail Botvinov and Austrian team doctor Ulrich Maeggelle were questioned by Torino prosecutors in December. Police also searched Tauber’s car and the hotel room he was sharing with Botvinov, taking samples of what Tauber said were vitamins and asthma drugs certified by the International Ski Federation.
    The IOC said the disciplinary panel, composed of board members Thomas Bach, Oswald and Sergei Bubka, will meet in coming weeks to analyze the report and hold hearings with any athletes or officials implicated.
    The panel will submit recommendations to the decision-making IOC executive board, whose next meeting takes place Feb. 7-9 in Lausanne.
    “The length of the proceedings will depend on the results of the evaluation of the report and the hearings,” the statement said.

— The Associated Press