Dopy Ozzies

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Australian sport rocked by doping inquiry

Ministers and sports representatives addressed the media at Parliament House in Canberr

A year-long investigation has found "widespread" use of banned drugs in Australian professional sport.

The Australian Crime Commission said the use of illicit drugs was often facilitated by organised crime syndicates.

It said the criminal links may have resulted in match-fixing and the manipulation of betting markets.

Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said the findings were "shocking and will disgust Australian sports fans".

The BBC's Nick Bryant in Australia says that in a sports-loving nation like Australia the impact of the report has been huge.

With fans asking which sportsmen and women can be trusted, it is a black day for Australian sport, he adds.

The commission identified widespread use of substances including peptides, hormones and illicit drugs among sports professionals.

In some cases the substances had not yet been approved for human use.

The report said findings indicated that sports scientists, coaches, support staff, doctors and pharmacists were involved in the provision of drugs and that sometimes entire teams had been doped.

'Worse than cheating'
Because criminal investigations are under way the report does not go into details, our correspondent says.


The BBC's Nick Bryant in Sydney "It's a bombshell to use a sporting cliche"
At least one match had allegedly been fixed, the report said, but it did not reveal in which sport.

"Multiple athletes from a number of clubs in major Australian sporting codes are suspected of currently using or having previously used peptides, potentially constituting anti-doping rule violations," Mr Clare said.

"It's cheating but it's worse than that, it's cheating with the help of criminals."

Sports Minister Kate Lundy said sports organisations would be encouraged to establish "integrity units" and engage the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency and law enforcement agencies to root out the problems.

"If you want to cheat, we will catch you, if you want to fix a match, we will catch you," Ms Lundy said.

The report said there were "clear parallels" between what had been discovered in Australia and the US Anti-Doping Agency investigation into disgraced Tour de France cyclist Lance Armstrong.

It said the links underlined "the trans-national threat posed by doping to professional sport".