July 24, 2008 (Vienna, Austria) – Austrian athletes are not allowed to live outside the official Olympic villages in China, in order to keep an eye on doping, the Austrian Olympic Committee (OeOC) announced Monday. The Austrian committee is taking a lesson from the 2006 winter Olympics in Turin, when searches of its cross-country ski and biathlon quarters, located outside the Olympic villages, turned up equipment which can be used for illegal methods and doping.

The OeOC would not be able to effectively monitor athletes living outside the official villages in Beijing, Hong Kong and Qingdao, Wallner said.

Doping controls would be “considerably stricter” at the Beijing Olympics, and Austria might be under special scrutiny, OeOC President, Leo Wallner, said at a press conference.

Austria’s decision was “sending a signal” to the International Olympic Committee, he said.

The measure will affect the sailing, canoe, horse-riding and triathlon teams, who wanted to rent their own accommodation.

After the Austrian doping scandal in Turin, the IOC banned six Austrian athletes for life and fined the Austrian Olympic Committee 1 million dollars.

The Austrian ski federation handed down its own bans on athletes and trainers, including cross-country ski coach Walter Mayer. He had tended to Austrian athletes at the 2006 Games, despite being banned from the Olympics for earlier doping violations.

Since Mayer is the partner and coach of Austrian marathon runner Eva Maria Gradwohl, who will run in Beijing, Wallner made it clear that Mayer remains banned and “his presence in China is not wanted.”

But there was no indication Mayer intends to coach Gradwohl at the Games, OeOC sport director Matthias Bogner told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

The Austrian Olympic Committee is sending 72 athletes to Beijing, hoping for medals in swimming, judo, table tennis, shooting or sailing.