Austrian biathlon duo may face 2010 ban

Two Austrian biathletes, banned from returning to the Turin Winter Olympics after suddenly leaving for home, could be suspended from the next Games too, the Austrian Olympic Committee told Reuters.

Wolfgang Perner and Wolfgang Rottmann went back to Austria on Sunday without telling anyone, after police and doping controllers swooped on their team's rooms late on Saturday and tested 10 athletes for banned substances.

"Our board is going to meet next week and we will certainly discuss disciplinary measures," the committee's Secretary-General Heinz Jungwirth said in an interview on Monday.

"One disciplinary measure would be to say they will not be taken to the next Games even if they qualify ”¦ if they suddenly leave like that they don't seem to be very interested in taking part." The next Winter Games are in Vancouver in 2010.

Officially, the two were free to leave because their competitions were over. But the head of the Austrian ski federation said they should have contacted their team chief first ”€ the athletes eventually got in touch on Sunday evening.

"NOT WORTHY"

Jungwirth said that late attempt at smoothing out things was not enough and his committee and the International Olympic Committee had already excluded the racers from the current Games as a punishment.

"That's done. We're not going back on our decision ”¦ We are going to talk about a further ban. If they acted like that maybe they are not worthy of being taken to the Olympics," he said.

He was also critical of Austrian coach Walter Mayer, who visited biathletes and cross-country racers in their mountain chalets despite being banned from the Olympics for his role in a blood transfusion scandal at Salt Lake City.

Mayer's contact to the Olympic team prompted the surprise raid and doping controls. The coach himself was put under investigation by Italian magistrates and fled to Austria, where he had a car crash and got into a row with police on Sunday.