Australian Craig banned for Paris drugs scandal, Hamburg role unclear

Australia hockey player Tom Craig has been banned for a year by his national association following a cocaine scandal at the Paris Olympics.

Six months of the sentence have been suspended. According to Hockey Australia's statement on Wednesday, the ban applies to all competitions that are authorized or organized by the Australian association.

It is therefore unclear whether Craig is also banned from the German Hockey Bundesliga.

The 29-year-old, who has played for his country for 10 years and won Olympic silver in Tokyo in 2021, had been signed by the Hamburg Polo Club for the new season. In an initial statement at the time, the club pledged support for Craig.

He was arrested during the Games in Paris last month for buying cocaine. According to the public prosecutor's office, police surprised two people during the alleged handover of drugs near Montmartre.

The Australian was released by the police with a warning and escaped punishment. Craig apologized for "a terrible mistake."