21 European athletes come under anti-doping radar

In the latest twist to the ever-intensifying Olympic doping controversy, 21 athletes from eight European countries across five Sports– three winters, two summers – are suspected of alleged doping offenses from 2011 until 2019.

A district attorney in Munich gave the results on Wednesday from their probe into a doping network after raids were conducted in Austria and Germany during the Nordic skiing world championships.

According to chief prosecutor Kai Graeber, Sports doctor Dr. Mark Schmidt in Erfurt is the prime accused and has recently been interrogated while a fifth person from the doping network has been arrested.

Graeber stated, "The main accused (Dr. Mark Schmidt Sports-doctor from Erfurt) has meanwhile been interrogated by me and the colleagues from the office of custom and the Austrian colleagues. You will understand that I can't tell you more about what he has said because of tactical interrogational reasons. Especially not about the specific athletes who are affected or from which countries they come from."

"At the current state of investigations, we found out that twenty-one athletes have used their own blood for doping. They descend from eight European countries. The period of time extends from 2011 until the World Championships in Seefeld in 2019," he mentioned.

"We found out about a three-digit figure of cases of withdrawal and recirculation of blood worldwide in Germany, Austria, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Croatia, Slovenia, South Korea and Hawaii."

Five athletes, including two Austrians, were initially arrested on February 27 at the Nordic skiing world championships in Seefeld. Austria is part of a joint operation with German police targeting a suspected international blood-doping ring suspected to have been run out of Germany.

(CGTN)