Dawn Fraser urges lifelong ban on Australian Olympic swimmers who used sleeping pills

Veteran Australian swimming star Dawn Fraser yesterday urged a lifelong competition ban for members of the London Olympics 4x100 relay team who last week admitted taking prohibited sleeping pills.

The much-vaunted Australian relay side, who talked themselves up as the "Weapons of Mass Destruction" but failed to make a podium finish, confessed to taking Stilnox - banned by Australian team officials - for a "bonding" night.

Five of the six team members called a media conference last week to come clean on using the pills as part of a team-building night at their Manchester training camp ahead of the London Games that descended into pranks.

Australian swimming great Dawn Fraser, winner of eight Olympic medals including four golds between 1956 and 1964, said the group should be barred from competition for life.

"Those people who take drugs in sport should be banned forever, not to ever be allowed to come back into sport ... especially in this example," said Fraser.

"They should be punished severely because they are setting a bad example for the younger generation for our country."