Friday, 10. February 2012

:: Home > Sports > OC lifts ban on disgraced biathlete team members

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
30	31	1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	1	2	3	4

Add your event FREE

Today

Polls

09. 09. 09. - 15:00

�OC lifts ban on disgraced biathlete team members

By Thomas Hochwarter

Sanctions have been lifted against Olympic athletes suspended over a doping scandal.

The Austrian Olympic Committee (�OC) lifted sanctions on seven members of the country's biathlon team who were suspended after the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

This decision yesterday (Weds) means that biathlon director Markus Gandler, team doctor Peter Baumgartl, cross-country skiing coach Gerald Heigl, equipment manager Reinhard Neuner and physiotherapists Andreas Eder and Volker M�ller, are all free to participate in upcoming Olympic events and will not face any further legal proceedings.

Gandler said: "Yes, this comes a bit late. I asked for such a move immediately after the incidents of Turin. But nevertheless, I am very pleased with the decision. They say all good things come back in life one day � that seems to be true."

Five others members of the Austrian squad had their suspensions lifted last July.

The suspensions had come after Italian investigators confiscated blood-transfusion equipment in a night-time raid at the Austrian team�s accommodation at the 2006 Games. Five athletes were suspended for life from Olympic competition, while investigations against a number of other people are still ongoing.

Only last week, long-standing �OC president Leo Wallner announced his retirement from the post after 19 years in the hot seat.

Austrian sports authorities welcomed Wallner�s announcement and said it was a chance for a fresh start.

Wallner�s move came after key �OC members were accused of wasting tax-payers� money in Salzburg�s bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. Hundreds of thousands of Euros are thought to have "disappeared" in obscure channels linked with a committee assigned to do loyalty work for the city�s bid.

Wallner�s claim he had not been informed about money flows increased the pressure on O�C general secretary Heinz Jungwirth who also denied any wrongdoing.

There is speculation that Karl Stoss, general director of Casinos Austria, could succeed Wallner as �OC president.

Austrian Times

Your comment to this article :

(will be approved by an editor before going online)

your name
your location
your message
Not for publication:
your mail
How many vertical lines or which Text (from left to right) do you see in this image:
input for security check

Tag cloud:
biathlete suspensions suspended payers ongoing Olympic president Wallner Austrian Committee wasting Turin disgraced biathlon Gandler equipment director investigators money announcement

Latest News

Set up tax on financial transactions soon, says Katzian
The head of the Association of Private Employees (GPA-djp) has called for a quick introduction of a tax on financial transactions.

P�hringer rejects U-turn on rightist ball
Young Social Democrats (SP�) have appealed to Upper Austrian Governor Josef P�hringer not to attend the Burschenbundball in Linz this Saturday.

FP� under fire after trip to Grozny
The Freedom Party (FP�) has been harshly criticised for meeting with Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov.

WKO boss wants pension age hike incentives
Federal Economy Chamber (WKO) President Christoph Leitl has identified attempts to raise the average retirement age as the key issue regarding Austria�s budget.

Woman and child run over in Vienna
A woman and child have died in a road accident in Vienna, Austria. The lorry driver was making a right turn when he drove into a group of pedestrians leaving a 59-year-old and a 12-year-old dead. The mother of the school girl was left with serious injuries.

Schlecker says Austrian jobs are safe
The son of Schlecker founder Anton Schlecker has claimed that the company has no plans to sell its Austrian affiliate.

SP� sees smaller parliament as key signal
The general secretary of the Social Democrats (SP�) has argued his support for a reduction of the size of the parliament.

Austrian food to feature in organic trade fair
Austria is expected to be well represented at next week�s BioFach 2012 international organic trade fair in Nuremberg, Germany. Some 90 companies and organisations from the Austrian organic good sector will feature at the fair from 15 to 18 February.

Brothel for the homeless in Vienna
Homeless people are queueing up for free rooms in an Austrian brothel after owner Peter Laskaris said it would be unfair not to do everything he could during the current cold spell.

Deep-freeze snacks for orangutans in Sch�nbrunn
The lucky orangutans who take up residence in Europe�s oldest zoo have been indulging in a twice weekly take-away. Despite the trees in Sch�nbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria now being completely bare the fury friends have fresh branches and leaves delivered twice a week.