another site i found
ATHENS, Greece: Authorities widened a probe into a weightlifting doping scandal, searching a warehouse in central Greece and using police experts to examine e-mails sent from a Chinese drug maker.
Judicial authorities said Health Ministry inspectors on Wednesday searched a warehouse used to store dietary supplements in the city of Larissa, after three sites were searched in Athens on Tuesday.
Greece's Olympic weightlifting coach Christos Iakovou was suspended last week after 11 of his athletes tested positive for using banned substances. Confirmation of those results is expected this week.
Iakovou has blamed the tests results on a faulty batch of diet supplements sent from Chinese drug maker Auspure Biotechnology Co. Ltd.
Officials at the police's electronic crimes department said they were examining e-mails sent by the company to Greece.
China on Wednesday promised to help Greek authorities with their investigation.
"China is willing to work closely with Greece in finding the truth," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said. "The Chinese side is paying enormous attention to this incident and ... has ordered related departments to launch a deep investigation into it."
Meanwhile, Greece's anti-doping organization stepped up high-profile tests and announced 11 drug violations since the begining of the year.
The domestic agency, known as ESKAN, did not give any details of the level the athletes competed in, but noted only one violation — by a cyclist — involving steroid use.
ESKAN officials conducted tests on 12 first-division soccer players Wednesday from Athens clubs AEK and Panathinaikos.
Also Wednesday, Iakovou testified before an investigative committee set up by the Greek Weightlifting Federation.
"I told them the truth, exactly how everything happened," he said after the hearing, speaking publicly for the first time since the scandal broke. He refused to elaborate.
In a statement he gave to the committee, Iakovou insisted the Chinese supplier had mistakenly sent the banned substances instead of legal protein supplements.
He said he had used the Chinese supplier, starting in late 2007, due to a shortage of a protein supplement on the Greek market, but insisted he had told the Greek Weightlifting Federation.
A copy of the statement was obtained by The Associated Press.
"I categorically state that during my 19 years as head coach I have never (administered) banned substances," Iakovou wrote.
"I feel deeply saddened at the behavior of former and current officials at the Greek Weightlifting Federation who stayed silent while I was subjected to wretched, libelous (attacks)."
