Doping-IOC fines Austrian Olympic Committee 1 million dollar

VIENNA, May 24 (Reuters) The International Olympic Committee (IOC) fined the Austrian Olympic Committee 1 million dollar today over the Austrian athletes' doping affair at last year's Turin Winter Games.

The IOC said in a statement that the Austrian Olympic Committee was suspended ''from receiving or applying for any grants or subsidies, whether direct or indirect, from the IOC in the amount of 1 million dollar''.

The IOC also gave the Austrian Olympic Committee until June 2008 to report on the results of its ongoing internal investigation into the affair and the internal changes it has undertaken.

Austrian Olympic Committee president Leo Wallner said today that his organisation had originally been threatened with expulsion from the next two Olympic Games.

''The Austrian ski federation violated the Olympic spirit, the basic rules of fairness, the Olympic Charter and the anti-doping regulations of the World Anti-Doping Agency, the IOC, the International Ski Federation and the Austrian Olympic Committee, by failing to take any sufficient or clear measures following the events in Turin,'' Wallner said in a statement.

''It was only due to the various efforts of the Austrian Olympic Committee, the national government and parliament that this possible expulsion was reduced into a considerable fine from the IOC.'' Wallner said the IOC's demands would be the subject of an emergency meeting of the Austrian Olympic Committee's board with the aim of bringing further sanctions against the ski federation.

LIFELONG BANS Among the measures proposed by Wallner were additional lifelong Olympic bans for the entire support staff of the Austrian cross-country and biathlon teams.

He said he would also demand that the ski federation paid the fine imposed by the IOC.

Ski federation president Peter Schroecksnadel rejected the claims of complacency within his organisation.

''The Austrian Ski Federation has always been against any form of doping and in favour of clean sport,'' Schroecksnadel said.

''The Federation has however always spoken out against prejudice, defamation and the act of pronouncing people guilty by association.'' Schroecksnadel called for an independent commission to investigate the events of Turin.

''Until all the trials and investigations are complete, any financial demands from the Austrian Olympic Committee will be strongly rejected, because it was the Olympic Committee's own mission chief (in Turin) who had full responsibility for the athletes and officials,'' Schroecksnadel added.

Italian police and doping testers raided the Austrian biathlon and cross-country skiing team headquarters in Turin after the appearance of a banned coach, and found blood bags and equipment used for blood doping.

While none of the athletes tested positive, the IOC last month banned six of them from competing in any future Olympics following violations of its anti-doping rules.

Reuters RN GC2137