Austrian U23 doping bans upheld

By Susan Westemeyer

An independent arbitration committee in Austria has upheld the two-year suspensions for U23 riders Christian Ebner and Marco Oreggia, who were involved in doping cases related to the World Championships in Salzburg. The committee upheld the decision of the Austrian cycling federation (ÖRV) announced in December. The suspension runs from September 13, 2006, and affects all national and international competitions.

The suspension stems from an unannounced doping control during an ÖRV training camp for the World Championships. Ebner "disappeared" after the doping controller appeared, in an apparent attempt to avoid the test, while Oreggia tested positive for EPO.