Six Austrian Olympians banned for life by IOC

Six Austrian Winter Games athletes were banned for life from the Olympics yesterday for possession of doping equipment.

The six, four cross-country skiers and two biathletes, were ruled "permanently ineligible for all future Olympic Games in any capacity".

In February 2006, after a tip-off from the IOC, Italian authorities raided a private house in which Austrian athletes were living during the Turin Olympics.

"The Italian report showed very clearly that a great quantity of medical equipment had been seized in this apartment used by athletes," German IOC member Thomas Bach said.

"Some athletes gave testimony in writing, some did not. In evaluating all this, 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."

The banned athletes were Wolfgang Perner, Roland Diethart, Johannes Eder, Juergen Pinter, Martin Tauber and Wolfgang Rottman.