Pubdate: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 Source: Wire: Reuters Copyright: 1998 Reuters Limited. NORDIC SKIING-THREE WOMEN SKIERS FAIL BLOOD TESTS TOBIACH, Italy, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Three women Nordic skiers have failed dope tests carried out during World Cup races in northern Italy, news agency ANSA reported on Sunday. It said the three, two Norwegians and a Ukranian, were found to have higher-than-permitted levels of red blood cells in a test carried out on Saturday morning in Tobiach. They did not compete in Saturday's five-km cross-country event. It said all three women were found to have haematocrit levels of above 16.5, the highest level permitted by the International Ski Federation. One of the Norwegians was later named as Maj Helen Sorkmo, who came 17th in an event in Milan on December 8, ANSA said. Her haematocrit level was three times the permitted level, ANSA said, quoting the Norwegian ski federation. World Cup officials neither confirmed nor denied the report. Banned performance enhancing drugs including the substance erythropoeitin, which was at the root of the doping scandal during this year's Tour de France cycling race, artificially boost the level of red blood cells in the body. - --- Checked-by: Rich O'Grady