Mayer was only caught by police after crashing his car

Despite being banned from the Games because of allegations of blood doping, Walter Mayer travelled to Turin.

He later fled the city after police raided the hotel in which the Austrian cross-country team were staying and was only caught after crashing his car.

But officials in Vienna ruled there was no evidence Mayer did anything wrong.

The Italian authorities are still to decide whether to prosecute the Austrian themselves.

As well as facing charges in Italy, he is also the subject of separate investigations by the Austrian Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Mayer has responded with legal action of his own, filing defamation suits against IOC president Jacques Rogge and the head of the World Anti-Doping Agency Dick Pound.