German doctor Mark Schmidt was convicted and sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison on Friday for his role as head of an international blood doping ring uncovered in the Operation Aderlass criminal investigation.
German doctor Schmidt jailed for role in blood doping scandal Friday, 15 January 2021
German doctor Mark Schmidt has been jailed for four years and eight months for running an international blood doping ring.
Schmidt had been on trial in Munich alongside four co-defendants.
He was found guilty of 24 counts of using doping methods and a further two counts of prohibited use of drugs,
Agence France-Presse reported.
Schmidt received an additional three-year ban from practicing medicine, as well as a fine of €158,000 (£140,000/$191,000).
Prosecutors had requested a five-and-a-half-year prison sentence, with an additional five-year ban from practicing medicine.
Two of Schmidt’s co-defendants were handed suspended sentences of two years, four months and one year, four months.
Head of blood doping ring Mark Schmidt convicted, sentenced to prison
MUNICH German doctor Mark Schmidt was convicted and sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison on Friday for his role as head of an international blood doping ring uncovered in the Operation Aderlass criminal investigation.
The Munich regional court also banned the 42-year-old Schmidt from working for three years and convicted four accomplices, who received lesser sentences.
The court considered it proven that Schmidt treated winter-sports athletes and cyclists with blood doping for years. In one case, he administered a preparation to an Austrian mountain biker that was not approved for human use, leading to a conviction for dangerous bodily harm.
Jail term for blood doping doctor in ground-breaking Aderlass trial
Issued on:
15/01/2021 - 15:31 3 min
Berlin (AFP)
Senior figures in German sport on Friday welcomed the prison sentence handed to the doctor at the centre of the Aderlass international blood-doping trial in Munich after the first major test of Germany s anti-doping laws.
Dr Mark Schmidt, 42, has been sentenced to four years, 10 months for masterminding an international blood doping ring between 2012 and 2019. Finally we are seeing a verdict that includes draconian penalties for those cheating in sport, said Alfons Hoermann, president of the German Olympic Sports Confederation, after the verdict.
Schmidt has also received an additional ban from practising medicine for a further three years and was fined 158,000 euros ($191,821).
Aderlass blood doping doctor set for jail sentence as trial concludes
Issued on:
14/01/2021 - 03:34 2 min
Berlin (AFP)
The sports doctor at the centre of the Aderlass international blood-doping trial is expected to be handed a lengthy jail sentence on Friday when a court in Munich returns its verdict.
The prosecution has recommended Dr Mark Schmidt, 42, receive a five-and-a-half-year prison term, and a ban from practising medicine for a further five years.
Schmidt is accused of masterminding an international blood doping ring which helped dozens of athletes mainly cross-country skiers and cyclists to cheat.
Blood doping is aimed at boosting the red blood cells, which allows the body to transport more oxygen to muscles, increasing stamina and performance.