Doping Allegations
January 17, 2008
After reporting that up to 30 athletes, many of them from Germany and active at the current biathlon World Cup in Anterselva, were involved in illicit blood-doping activities revolving around the Austrian blood bank Humanplasma, German public broadcaster ARD apologized for the accusations made earlier this week, which it admitted had no foundation in fact.
Presenter Michael Antwerpes, speaking "in the name of ARD" at the games, said the broadcaster was not justified in making general allegations without presenting any facts.
"It is not justifiable and not in accordance with our professional understanding to raise such general suspicions without having verifiable facts," Antwerpes said. "We regret that in connection with this report, accusations and insinuations have been made against athletes."
German Ski Federation spokesman Stefan Schwarzbach said "the alleged doping affair" had now become "more or less a media affair." He added that the federation would take legal steps against the journalists responsible but not against ARD itself.
The accusations have had a profound effect on the athletes, according to Germany's Kati Wilhelm, who won Thursday's women's 7.5-kilometer sprint. "They were accusations which we all knew we had nothing to do with," she said.
Last week, Austrian prosecutors said they were investigating suspicions by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that the private Austrian laboratory Humanplasma, a Vienna-based blood bank, had been involved in illicit blood-doping activities.
Cyclists may have also been involved
Humanplasma's management has denied any involvement in the alleged doping. The medical director of the laboratory, Lothar Baumgartner, said he could not, however, rule out the possibility of laboratory premises being abused for off-hours illegal activities.
Austria's own cross-country and biathlon teams were implicated in a blood doping scandal at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics that prompted six athletes being banned from all future Olympic Games.
According to ARD reports, professional cyclists, including Austrian Georg Totschnig, Dane Micheal Rasmussen, Dutchman Micheal Boogerd and Russian Denis Menchov, were also linked to the doping allegations involving Humanplasma.
On Wednesday, Rasmussen's manager rejected allegations that the cyclist was involved in doping through the Vienna-based blood bank.