-13 [spo] [ed] @a=Weightlifting doping probe widens in Greece; China promises help
April 10, 2008 - 0:0
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Authorities searched a warehouse in central Greece on Wednesday, widening a probe into a weightlifting doping scandal. Judicial authorities said Health Ministry inspectors 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 blamed the test results on a faulty batch of diet supplements sent from Chinese drug maker Auspure Biotechnology Co. Ltd. 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.""