Doping widespread in Australian sport, says probe
Probe exposes widespread doping by athletes in Australia, shattering its drugs-free reputation; crime gangs supply some with banned substances
Widespread drug use by elite athletes and links with organised crime uncovered in a year-long Australian government investigation have rocked a nation that prides itself on its sporting achievements and its collective notion of fair play.
"The findings are shocking and will disgust Australian sports fans," Justice Minister Jason Clare said in Canberra.
The findings are shocking and will disgust Australian sports fans
He revealed that "multiple athletes from a number of clubs" in the big professional leagues are suspected of using or having used performance-enhancing substances.
The Australian Crime Commission released the findings of "Project Aperio" yesterday, saying there was evidence of at least one potential case of match-fixing, widespread use of prohibited substances including peptides, hormones and illicit drugs, and the infiltration of organised criminal groups in the distribution of performance and image-enhancing drugs.
"This is the blackest day in Australian sport," Richard Ings, the former chief of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency, said.
The country's two most popular sports competitions, the Aussie rules Australian Football League (AFL) and the National Rugby League, have already acknowledged they are working with the ACC and have launched independent investigations.
Illicit drug use by professional athletes was more common in the bigger sports than current drugs testing programmes suggested, the ACC report said, adding that some coaches, sports scientists and support staff had "orchestrated and/or condoned the use of prohibited substances" that sometimes weren't even cleared for use on humans and were beyond conventional anti-doping testing.
