Austrian Olympic Committee Renews Inquiry Into Turin Scandal

Heinz Jungwirth says the Austrian Olympic Committee inquiry will move ahead. (ATR)

(ATR) Facing the risk of Austria’s banishment from the Winter Olympics, the secretary general of the Austrian Olympic Committee says an inquiry into the doping scandal at the Turin Olympics will be restarted.

“If we do nothing and the IOC notices that a national committee is not interested, then everything is possible,” Heinz Jungwirth is quoted by Austrian Press Agency about the troubles the AOC could face over the scandal.

He says an AOC commission named last year will resume its work, chaired by Dieter Kalt, president of the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation. The commission was unable to complete its work due to a lack of evidence, which is now in abundance.

Jungwirth spoke to the press Tuesday in Lausanne, following his appearance before an IOC Disciplinary Commission formed to investigate the Turin affair. Six athletes have been banned for life from the Games as a result of IOC commission recommendations.

Thomas Bach, IOC vice president and legal expert is the chair, with Denis Oswald of Switzerland and Sergey Bubka of Ukraine the other panelists.

The IOC panel was formed in February 2006 after Italian police raided the private living quarters of Austrian athletes in biathlon and cross country midway through the Turin Games.

The evidence seized included blood bags, syringes, medicines, meters and even equipment to freeze blood, all scattered about the chalets shared by the Austrians in Pragelato. Ten athletes were summoned for immediate testing in the police raids, but none returned positive tests.

Bach labeled as “disturbing” the casual manner in which the athletes lived among apparatus which his commission determined was used for blood doping.

Bach and the Austrian panel have only recently been able to review the evidence from the Italian police.

But Jungwirth charged Tuesday that the ski federation has had evidence since the police raids and has failed to share it.

“Secretary-General Klaus Leistner had the report lie 14 months on his desk,” Jungwirth said in Lausanne.

Ski federation sports director Markus Gandler is scheduled to testify at Wednesday’s hearing, the final day of this phase of the IOC inquiry.

Jungwirth acknowledged that the pressure is on from the IOC to take action, especially since the AOC was “stronglyDieter Kalt will lead the Austrian inquiry.warned” by the IOC in 2002 after blood doping gear found in a private home used by Austrians during the Salt Lake City Olympics.

It would appear the situation only grew worse from Salt Lake City to Turin, despite the IOC warning and even bans on some team officials, who managed to appear again in 2006.

Bach would not comment on the testimony, directing a reporter questions to the Olympic Charter about possible penalties facing the Austrian Olympic Committee.

Bach says there are ways for the IOC Executive Board to consider his group’s report in advance of its next scheduled meeting in July.

The timing of the IOC recommendation could also depend on the completion of the Dieter Kalt report and subsequent response by the AOC. The quicker Austria proceeds, the quicker may come an IOC finding well in advance of the July 4 vote at the session in Guatemala.

Kalt is in Moscow for the IIHF World Championships, but could be returning home soon, given the dismal showing the Austrian team has made in the opening round of the tournament.

With the ski federation and its leadership the obvious targets of the Kalt panel, the IOC may be waiting to see if the Austrian committee will play tough if wrong-doing is uncovered.

Left unspoken by Jungwirth were any comments about the possible blow this case could have to Salzburg’s bid for the 2014 Olympics, now in the last eight weeks of the campaign.

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