Italian officials say they will file criminal charges against Olympic athletes who test positive for banned substances in Torino, the Washington Post reported Feb. 7.

Sports officials argued unsuccessfully for Italy to suspend its tough anti-doping laws during the Olympics. "In Italy, we have very strict anti-doping laws," said International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Mario Pescante. "If any athlete is positive, in that case the Italian court will intervene. No exceptions."

However, police won't search the Olympic village, and Italy has agreed to allow the IOC to conduct all drug testing.

Italian law calls for jail terms of up to two years for use of doping, although such a sentence is seen as unlikely for an Olympic athlete.