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Banned Austrian coach in car crash as anti-doping war escalates
(AP)
Updated: 2006-02-20 09:13
It was unclear whether he would face criminal charges, and authorities
declined to say whether they searched his vehicle for doping substances or
equipment. Mayer's driver's license was provisionally suspended.
The Austrian Ski Federation said Sunday night it had ended its relationship
with Mayer, effective immediately. In a brief statement, federation president
Peter Schroecksnadel cited the accident as the reason. He did not elaborate.
In the first ever doping raid by police on Olympic athletes, Italian
authorities said they seized materials in the search on the Austrians' private
lodgings. Six skiers and four biathletes were rousted and taken for
out-of-competition tests by the International Olympic Committee, hours before
some were due to compete.
No one has been arrested, and test results of seized materials were pending.
"To be completely frank, I find it infuriating that someone like Walter Mayer
shows up here," Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel said from Sestriere in an
interview with state broadcaster ORF Sunday evening.
"Dozens of Austrian athletes have been preparing for their whole lives to
reach this summit, and then something like this happens," he said.
Mayer and Volker Mueller, the German chiropractor who prescribed blood
treatments in 2002, were banned by the IOC from the Turin Olympics and the 2010
Vancouver Games.
WADA doping control officers went to the Austrian cross-country training camp
in Ramsau last month and found similar doping equipment, WADA and IOC officials
said.
WADA then learned that Mayer — who was not accredited for the games — was
with the team at the Turin Games and notified the IOC, which tipped off Italian
police.
"The fact he was in the same area as the athletes created quite some concern
to us," IOC medical commission chief Arne Ljungqvist said.
The Italian national news agency ANSA quoted unidentified judicial sources as
saying Mayer had been put under investigation by magistrates on suspicion of
encouraging the use of banned substances.
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