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[Bingo]

Australia rocked by allegations of drug and crime links in sports

An Australian government commission delivered a stunning blow to the sports-obsessed nation's self-image, alleging that many professional athletes are using forbidden drugs often supplied by organized crime groups.

The scandal follows a bleak few weeks for professional sports worldwide.
Last month, U.S. cyclist Lance Armstrong admitted to the use of performance enhancing drugs and blood doping during his multiple Tour de France victories.

And on Monday, European police officials said they were investigating hundreds of top soccer games over suspicions of match-fixing involving international crime syndicates.

Richard Ings, a former head of the anti-doping authority, summed up the mood. ''This is not a black day in Australian sport, this is the blackest day in Australian sport," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

In an interview with CNN, Ings called the report a "wake-up call" for sports and suggested that other countries should take a look at their own sports programs to check for doping and corruption.

"What is happening here and what has been uncovered here could easily happen in any other jurisdiction and any other country around the world," he said. Many prohibited substances in use nowadays cannot be detected by existing drug testing programs, according to Ings.

"The game has changed," he said. "It's now about investigations, it's about law enforcement, it's about exactly what happened with Lance Armstrong."

http://edition.cnn.c....html?hpt=hp_t3

[North Shore]

Not only the Australians...
http://www.cbc.ca/sp...ion-doping.html