AOC urges for greater powers in anti-doping fight

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Sydney: The Australian Olympic Committee has again urged the federal government to strengthen the powers of national anti-doping authorities in the wake of a report on Lance Armstrong by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that has rocked the sport of cycling.

AOC chairman John Coates on Tuesday wrote to Sports Minister Kate Lundy asking the government to improve the Australian Anti-Doping Agency's investigative capabilities by strengthening its power "to compel witnesses to attend and give evidence and to produce documents" relevant in anti-doping investigations.

The USADA released a damning report last week containing testimony from former teammates and other witnesses against Armstrong, who is accused of a long and sophisticated program of doping, and has ordered that he be stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and be banned for life from the sport.

Coates made his latest calls for increased powers for Australian authorities in response to comments in the media by the sports minister, and only hours before Lundy and Jason Clare, the Minister for Home Affairs and Justice, announced a memorandum of understanding between the ASADA and the Australian Crime Commission to share intelligence and work collaboratively to investigate allegations of doping in sport.

The AOC has been urging the government to the anti-doping fight broader powers since before the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

"AOC experience is that without the power to compel the giving of oral and documentary evidence, many allegations of (doping violations) cannot be properly investigated and prosecuted," the AOC said in a previous submission to the government.

Several cyclists have already accepted bans after admitting to using performance-enhancing drugs. On the weekend, former professional Matt White quit as coach and selector of Australia's road cycling program and from his role as director with the Orica-GreenEdge pro tour team after admitting and apologizing for doping during his time riding with Armstrong's U.S. Postal Service team.