Winter Olympics: 15 Austrians dope-tested in police raids

TURIN - Italian police raided Austria's biathlon and cross-country skiing team bases on suspicion of doping yesterday, casting a pall over the Winter Games.

International Olympic Committee anti-doping officials tested 15 Austrian athletes for evidence of doping, officials said. An investigative source said the police had found nothing untoward so far.

The Austrian team said they would protest at the raids. "We are in favour of controls but these methods, turning up at such a late hour, is not acceptable," said Heinz Jungwirth, secretary-general of the Austrian Olympic Committee. "This is nothing but harassment."

In a Games that had been relatively quiet on the doping front, the raids also raised the spectre of Olympics past. The IOC said a World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) report stated the Austrians might have been visited by Walter Mayer, the coach who was banned from the Olympics until after 2010, as blood transfusion equipment was found in a chalet at Salt Lake City.

Austrian team officials said police surrounded two buildings housing the athletes and they were taken 5km away to Sestriere, where the IOC conducted doping tests. They were then returned to their houses.

It was a bleak end to a record-breaking day of sport.

Alpine rulers

Kjetil Andre Aamodt and Janica Kostelic were crowned the most successful Olympic alpine skiers of all time when they romped to their fourth Winter Olympic golds - Aamodt in the men's super-G and Kostelic just over 30 minutes later in the women's combined.

"The last one is always the best one," Aamodt, 34, said of his gold.

The Norwegian, who won his first gold in the super-G at the 1992 Albertville Games, is competing in his fifth Winter Olympics. Croatian Kostelic took the combined title for the second time in succession.

Having done the first leg with a fever, the 24-year-old's exertions took their toll and she said she would skip the women's super-G today.

Milestone for Davis

American Shani Davis became the first black athlete to win an individual gold at a Winter Games. Davis' gold in the men's 1000m speedskating put the US back on top of the medal standings with seven golds.

"I think it's cool to have a gold medal regardless of the colour," Davis said. "Although African Americans choose basketball or some other sport, I chose a different route. Regardless of the colour, I wake up in the morning and work as hard as anybody.

"It's still a breakthrough, though."

Russian's shame

In the mountains, Germany briefly vaulted to top of the medals table when Kati Wilhelm won their sixth gold by triumphing in the biathlon 10km pursuit.

Russia also have six golds, thanks to their women's cross-country skiers, who won the 4x5km relay in swirling snow. But Olga Pyleva was not around to witness her compatriots' triumph. The first Winter Olympian to be thrown out for a doping offence at the Games, Pyleva has left Turin and returned to Moscow.

Austrian one-two

Austrians won gold and silver in the individual large hill skijumping, with Thomas Morgenstern beating his roommate Andreas Kofler to the gold.

Koreans shine

In short-track skating, South Korea ruled, with Jin Sun-yu winning the women's 1500m and Ahn Hyun-soo taking his second gold of the Games in the men's 1000m.

Champions beaten

Canada had an awful day. In curling, the women were one down due to food poisoning and lost to Japan. Their icehockey team, defending champions, lost 2-0 to Switzerland in the round-robin. The Swiss team's first Olympic victory over Canada avenged their worst-ever beating - a 33-0 loss at Chamonix in 1924.

- REUTERS