Probe finds widespread use of drugs in sport, crime links
February 7, 2013
The findings are shocking and will disgust Australian sports fans.
A year-long government investigation has found widespread use of banned drugs in Australian professional sport and links with organised crime. The Australian Crime Commission released the findings of a 12-month investigation into the integrity of Australian sport and the relationship between professional sporting bodies, prohibited substances and organised crime.
It said the links may have resulted in match-fixing and fraudulent manipulation of betting markets - and it was hopeful criminal charges would be laid.
The key findings of the investigation identified widespread use of prohibited substances including peptides, hormones and illicit drugs in professional sport.
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Former Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority boss Richard Ings said Australians had been in denial about sports doping here for to too long.
‘‘This is not a black day in Australian sport, this is the blackest day in Australian sport," he said.
The report concluded that some coaches, sports scientists and support staff of elite athletes have orchestrated and/or condoned the use of prohibited substances.
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AFL boss Andrew Demetriou said he was shocked by the findings, and said he did not know how many AFL clubs were involved.
He said the AFL's investigation had already begun and that the league was working with ASADA.
NRL chief executive David Smith, who was in Canberra for the report's release, said: "we need to be strong."
Australian Rugby Union said it had set up an integrity office and hired an Australian Federal Police detective to look into drugs in its code. Over 2011 and 2012, it had prosecuted four cases.
Rugby Union boss Bill Pulver called the report a "very timely wake-up call", saying he had been aware of the issue of performance enhancing drugs but less aware of the links to organised crime.
Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland said his organisation was "as confident as we can be" that there was no match-fixing in the Big Bash.
"We have out own integrity unit that has surveillance activities over all of the Big Bash league matches."
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