A government investigation has uncovered use of banned substances within Australian professional sport and links to organised crime. Australian sport has been rocked by a bombshell report from the Crime Commission. t Picture: Grant Nowell Source: The Advertiser ILLEGAL drugs are widespread throughout Australian sport and are being facilitated by sports scientists, high-level coaches and sports staff, a 12-month investigation by the Australian Crime Commission has found. Organised crime groups are also involved in the frequent practice which, in some cases, see players administered with substances not yet approved for human use. The ACC also found evidence of "concerning" personal relationships between professional athletes and crime identities and groups that may have resulted in match fixing and the fraudulent manipulation of betting markets. Justice Minister Jason Clare encouraged anyone involved to come forward "before you get a knock at the door''. Read the full Crime Commission report here "The findings are shocking and will disgust Australian sports fans,'' he said. "It's cheating but it's worse than that. "It's cheating with the help of criminals'' Read more from the original source: Drugs rampant in Australian sport … Continue reading →

Feb. 7, 2013, 10:58 a.m. Click through the gallery to see some of Australia's biggest drug-related sporting scandals. Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare and Minister for Sport Senator Kate Lundy announced the findings of the investigation this morning. Photo: ALEX ELLINGHAUSEN Thorpes incredible record attracted several drug accusations, the most notable coming in a French newspaper that claimed he had returned an abnormal drug test result. The accusations for disproved and Thorpe remains a fierce anti-drug campaigner. The former Australian Socceroos goalkeeper failed a drugs test in 2002. He was sacked by Chelsea and banned from football for nine months. The Olympic silver medal canoeist was banned for 15 months after testing positive to steroids. After retiring, Baggaley was later jailed after pleading guilty to manufacturing 1,509 ecstasy tablets. Three-time silver medallist Boyle was denied a gold medal in the 200m at the 1972 Munich Olympics when defeated by an East German athlete later shown to have participated in a doping program. The premiership star spent a large part of his career at West Coast Eagles battling a drug addiction. He was banned for one year for bringing the game into disrepute but later played on at Richmond. Photo: Getty … Continue reading →

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 today 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. The report says the links may have resulted in match-fixing and fraudulent manipulation of betting markets. The key findings of the investigation identified widespread use of prohibited substances including peptides, hormones and illicit drugs in professional sport. It said that in some cases players were being administered with substances that have not yet been approved for human use. 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. The key findings of the investigation identified widespread use of prohibited substances including peptides, hormones and illicit drugs in professional sport. It said that in some cases players were being administered with substances that have not yet been approved for human use. The ACC also identified organised crime … Continue reading →

Video will begin in 5 seconds. Organised crime may be infilterating football, according to AFL Players' Association CEO Matthew Finnis. A year-long government investigation has found widespread use of banned drugs in Australian professional sport and links with organised crime. The findings are shocking and will disgust Australian sports fans. 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. Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare, Minister for Sport Senator Kate Lundy speak to the media during a joint press conference with sporting code representatives. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen 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. Advertisement The key findings of the investigation identified widespread use of prohibited substances including peptides, hormones and illicit drugs in professional sport. It said that in some cases players were being administered with substances that have not yet been approved for human use. More: Drugs in sport rife: probe … Continue reading →

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- A government investigation has unearthed widespread use of banned drugs and links with organized crime in Australian sports. The Australian Crime Commission released the findings of the yearlong ''Project Aperio'' on Thursday, saying there was evidence of match fixing, widespread use of prohibited substances, including peptides, hormones and illicit drugs, and the infiltration of organized criminal groups in the distribution of performance- and image-enhancing drugs. ''The findings are shocking and will disgust Australian sports fans,'' Justice Minister Jason Clare said. ''Multiple athletes from a number of clubs in major Australian sporting codes are suspected of currently using or having used peptides.'' Illicit drug use by professional athletes was more prevalent than had been indicated by sports drugs testing programs, the report stated, adding that some coaches, sports scientists and support staff of elite athletes have orchestrated and/or condoned the use of prohibited substances. The ACC said it could not disclose publicly the details of individuals or sports involved, but had given classified briefings to administrators of some sports or clubs. It has referred its findings of suspected criminal activity to the Australian Federal Police and state police forces. The release of the report comes in the … Continue reading →