Olympic chiefs hammered out a no-nonsense message to drug cheats yesterday, banning for life six Austrian Winter Olympians for possession of doping equipment and collaboration.

The six, two biathletes and four cross-country skiers from the 2006 Turin Olympics, were given the career-ending penalties after a raid by Italian police uncovered blood-transfusion equipment at the Games last year.

"With this decision the IOC has taken a major step against doping. It was not about a positive test but was about possession, complicity," the International Olympic Committee's disciplinary commission chief Thomas Bach told reporters.

"By this decision I think the IOC shows a clear determination to fight doping with zero tolerance."

Wolfgang Perner, Roland Diethart, Johannes Eder, Juergen Pinter, Martin Tauber and Wolfgang Rottman were banned after a tip-off from the IOC led Italian authorities to raid a private house in which athletes were living during the Olympics.

"The Italian report showed very clearly that a great quantity of medical equipment had been seized in this apartment used by athletes. This goes from saline solution, syringes, bags for storing blood and many other things," Bach told reporters in Beijing where the IOC were meeting.

Blood-stained handkerchiefs

"Handkerchiefs were found with blood stains. And other equipment was found to be blood-stained.

"Some athletes gave testimony in writing, some did not. In evaluating all this and the explanations we came to the conclusion that these athletes committed a violation of the anti-doping rules of the IOC by possessing medical devices and material.

"This possession alone was enough to constitute an offence...a violation of the code.

"What makes this case distinctive are the circumstances around," Bach continued.

"You have to imagine athletes living in apartments during the Games surrounded by blood bags and syringes. All these devices...this means it is almost impossible that these athletes did not know what was happening.

"If you live in a room with another athlete, or eat together, drink together, you can draw the conclusion that these athletes knew from each other what was happening and were even collaborating.

"This required a severe sanction because behaving in such a way shows a kind of mentality which the commission did not deem to be acceptable for people in the Olympic Games.

"So finally the Executive Board unanimously agreed to declare six of these Austrian athletes permanently ineligible for Olympic Games. This means they cannot participate in any capacity - as athletes, or coaches, anything."

Bach said the bans would have no bearing on the Austrian city of Salzburg's bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Salzburg, together with competitors South Korea's Pyeongchang and Russia's Sochi had earlier given presentations to the IOC.

The IOC will vote for the 2014 bid city in Guatemala on July 4.

(China Daily via Agnecies April 26, 2007)