Scandal shocks Games

Police found more than 100 syringes and 30 packs of drugs, including asthma drugs and antidepressants, in the Saturday night raids on Austria's mountain bases, an Italian prosecutor told Austrian television.

But Austrian Ski Federation president Peter Schroecksnadel said police had found nothing illegal.

"There were syringes and transfusion equipment, and devices which can be used to measure haemoglobin levels, but with medical support this is legitimate," Schroecksnadel told Austrian State Radio ORF.

Hermann Maier, who helped salvage Austria's honour on Monday by winning a bronze medal in the men's giant slalom, compared the police blitz to a manhunt for Osama bin Laden.

But prosecutors said the raids were coordinated with sports officials who became suspicious after Austrian biathlon coach Walter Mayer, banned from the Olympics after a doping scandal at the 2002 Games, visited the Turin team.

"A raid is a raid. You cannot announce it in advance, nor can you put on your velvet gloves," Turin prosecutor Marcello Maddalena said.

A police source said one athlete had thrown medical gear, including syringes, out of the window during the raid.

Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel admitted Mayer should not have been with the athletes, but slammed Italy for treating Austria's athletes "like criminals". He said the row would not hurt Salzburg's bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Magistrates in Turin are investigating Mayer, who was sacked by the Austrian Olympic Committee on Sunday after he crashed his car into a police barrier in his home country.

He was charged on Monday by Austrian police with causing civil disorder, damage to property and assault.

Schroecksnadel said Mayer was now in a psychiatric hospital. "He's in custody to protect himself because apparently he's said he wanted to commit suicide or something like that," he said.

The head coach of Austria's biathlon squad denied any knowledge of doping within his team following the abrupt departure of team members Wolfgang Perner and Wolfgang Rottmann.

"I don't sleep in the same room as the athletes and I don't search through their things," Alfred Eder said.

Perner and Rottmann could be suspended from the 2010 Games in Vancouver, the Austrian Olympic Committee said.

But Perner said he left because he feared he would be jailed by Italian authorities, who have vowed to apply the nation's strict drug laws even to athletes.

"I thought I'd rather leave before they jail me and I don't see my family again," he told Austrian news agency APA.

Before the Games, Italian authorities and the International Olympic Committee bickered over who would control doping.

But on Monday the IOC rejected claims its doping testers had been at odds with Italian police and said the raids were a good example of cooperation.

Mayer charged after ramming police car