TURIN, Italy (AP) -- The first whiff of scandal hit the Turin Olympics the day before the opening ceremony, as eight cross country skiers -- including two Americans and a former gold medalist from Germany -- were suspended for failed blood tests.
The athletes were suspended five days each for elevated levels of hemoglobin, the red blood cell that can increase endurance. The only cross country event that falls within that time is men's and women's pursuit on Sunday.
There is no proof that the athletes did anything wrong: Elevated hemoglobin can be caused by simple dehydration or the body's acclimation to mountain air. But the test result raises the possibility of blood doping with synthetic hemoglobin or transfusions to increase the oxygen in the muscles.
The tests were conducted by the International Ski Federation, which said the suspensions were not disciplinary, but to "protect the health of the athlete."
"It's a health and safety issue, and that's why it's there," U.S. Ski Team spokesman Tom Kelly said Friday morning.
Kelly said team officials don't believe the two American skiers -- Kikkan Randall and Leif Zimmerman -- did anything wrong.
"I get tested pretty regularly, especially the last few years with the U.S. Ski Team's sport science department," said Zimmerman, competing in his first Olympics. "We have a pretty good passport on my blood levels and I'm routinely around 17 (maximum level) as I've spent almost my entire life living and training at altitude. I also have had a head cold for the past week and that definitely affected my hydration, along with the altitude. Hopefully this won't effect any of my plans at the Olympics."
The suspensions come against the backdrop of extraordinary scrutiny of the athletes in Turin, where the IOC has said it plans to conduct some 1,200 tests, and is the first hint of a drug controversy since Olympians began arriving in Italy.
As of Tuesday, more than 100 IOC drug tests had been conducted with no positive results.
The International Ski Federation said it sampled 224 athletes over two days this week. The U.S. Ski Association said the five-day suspensions start Wednesday, when the tests were administered.
International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said the suspensions "were not doping tests."
"They will have to wait five more days until their blood parameters go down."
Jim Galanes, a coach for Randall, said there's no chance she was involved with illegal doping.
"There is absolutely no likelihood of that," said Galanes, the head Nordic ski coach at Alaska Pacific University who spoke with Randall on Thursday, the day after the test. "I can guarantee it."
The American skiers were 23-year-old Randall of Anchorage, Alaska, and Zimmerman, 22, of Bozeman, Mont. The other skiers were: Sean Crooks of Canada; Sergey Dolidovich of Belarus; Jean Marc Gaillard of France; Aleksandr Lasutkin of Belarus; Natalia Matveeva of Russia; and Evi Sachenbacher of Germany.
Sachenbacher won gold in the 2002 Salt Lake City Games in the women's relay, and silver in the women's sprint. She is currently seventh in World Cup rankings.
Sachenbacher broke down in tears after professing her innocence and explaining to reporters how she always drinks plenty of liquid when training.
"At home, I drink a lot and I never did anything to be guilty. I am the last person to do something like this," she said.
Randall, who goes by the nickname "Kikkanimal," has won several national titles and competed at the Salt Lake City Games. She is a sprint specialist; her aunt, Betsy Haines, competed in the 1980 Olympics in cross country and her uncle, Chris, was on the 1976 team.
"I knew that with all the running around we did getting here and into the village earlier this week, that not getting fluid was a problem for me," Randall said.
John Estle, an Alaska-based official with the USSA, said there could have been up to a half-dozen instances in this World Cup season where athletes were forbidden from competing because of elevated hemoglobin levels but later cleared in follow-up tests.
"It's not unheard of," said Estle, saying it could be caused by dehydration, if athletes have recently traveled, are working at high altitude in low humidity or have used an altitude tent.
"Any number of things can cause it -- I believe it can be a reflection of your fluid levels. It can fluctuate quite a lot," he said.
This is not the first time hemoglobin levels have tainted Olympic skiing.
In the 2002 games, Russia was unable to compete in the women's 20-kilometer cross country ski relay after Larissa Lazutina was disqualified for having high hemoglobin levels. She later was stripped of the gold medal she won in the 30-kilometer classic-style race after she tested positive for darbepoetin.
Also testing for high hemoglobin at those games was Johann Muehlegg of Spain, who lost his gold medal in the 50-kilometer classical race after testing positive, also for darbepoetin.
In mid-January, World Cup cross country skier Reto Burgermeister was suspended for five days for having elevated hemoglobin levels. The 30-year old Burgermeister was tested after training in Val di Fiemme, Italy, and then suspended by the International Ski Federation.
All previous blood tests taken since December 2005, showed normal levels, the Swiss ski federation said. Burgermeister is entered in seven events at Turin.
Associated Press writers Dan Joling in Anchorage, Naomi Koppel, Nesha Starcevic and Janie McCauley contributed to this report.
