Australia - There is a new gig in town for private eyes: spying on athletes caught up in doping allegations.
Tender documents show the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority is hiring a panel of private investigators to monitor athletes, coaches and officials who are already under suspicion.
An authority spokesman, Simon Tidy, said private investigators using video and audio surveillance equipment was new for the authority.
"We have our own investigators … but in terms of video and audio, we don't do that at the moment," he said.
The tender, which closed last week, called for companies with the resources to conduct "covert and overt" investigations in Australia and overseas.
Investigators who won contracts, expected to be for three years, would have to hold a current investigator's licence, and have undergone an Australian Federal Police character assessment in the past two years.
They will report day-to-day accounts of surveillance operations, and provide comprehensive video and audio records, including a "compilation tape" with many hours of footage. (more)
