VIENNA, Jan 2 Austria's former Olympic cross-country skiing champion Christian Hoffmann has announced his retirement after being provisionally suspended on suspicion of blood doping.

“Above all, I no longer have any chances of Olympic qualification. And, as this would have been my last season, I quit with immediate effect,” the 35-year-old told the Austrian news agency APA.

Austria's national doping agency NADA said on Thursday that it had banned Hoffmann, who has never tested positive, from all competition until a hearing into the case could take place.

With the Vancouver Olympics being held in February, Hoffmann no longer has any chance of qualifying.

Hoffmann won gold in the 30-km freestyle event at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

Spain's Johann Muehlegg won the race but was later stripped of the gold medal after testing positive for Darbepoetin, a banned blood-boosting substance. —Reuters