What a SHOCK!
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Thursday, October 16, 2003
SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (search) has uncovered a widespread drug conspiracy involving coaches, chemists and several track athletes who tested positive for a previously undetectable steroid and now face suspensions that could bar them from the 2004 Athens Olympics.
USADA chief executive officer Terry Madden said Thursday that both American and international athletes had tested positive for the steroid, known as tetrahydrogestrinone (search), or THG. He said the ongoing inquiry began with an anonymous tip and has expanded to include U.S. professional sports.
"I know of no other drug bust that is larger than this involving the number of athletes involved," said Madden, who refused to reveal the names, genders or nationalities of the athletes, or to be more specific about how many had tested positive.
Olympic athletes face drug tests at major competitions, as well as random testing between events. Their samples are divided in two and stored for future reference.
The athletes whose "A" samples revealed THG have been notified and will now have their "B" samples tested. If those also are positive, a review process will begin. Appeals could last for months. Track athletes found to have used steroids would face two-year bans.
"What we have uncovered appears to be intentional doping of the worst sort," Madden said in a conference call from USADA headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo. "This is a far cry from athletes accidentally testing positive as a result of taking contaminated nutritional supplements.
"Rather, this is a conspiracy involving chemists, coaches and certain athletes using what they developed to be `undetectable' designer steroids to defraud their fellow competitors and the American and world public who pay to attend sports events."
THG has a chemical structure similar to the banned anabolic steroids gestrinome (search) and trenbolone (search), Madden said. Though THG is not specifically named as a banned substance in world track, it would be considered a related substance outlawed under the sport's doping rules.
Madden said the USADA received a call from a man in early June claiming to be a track coach and naming athletes whom he claimed were using an undetectable designer steroid. He then sent the agency, by overnight courier, a used syringe containing some of the substance, Madden said.
The anti-doping laboratory at UCLA run by Don Catlin determined that the syringe contained THG, leading the USADA to retest 350 urine samples taken from athletes at the U.S. track and field championships in late June at Stanford, as well as 100 samples from random out-of-competition tests.
Madden said USADA contacted federal authorities with the findings. He wouldn't say how many of the samples tested positive for THG.
Madden said the anonymous tipster identified the source of the THG as Victor Conte, founder of BALCO laboratory of Burlingame. Madden would not say whether he had independent proof the substance came from Conte or BALCO.
"Everything that the coach has identified to us up to this time is true. We are fairly certain this substance came from Victor Conte and BALCO labs," said Madden, refusing to provide more specifics about what made him so certain.
Madden said he had not spoken with Conte, and Conte did not immediately respond Thursday to an e-mail inquiry from The Associated Press. A message left by phone at BALCO went unanswered.
BALCO, which supplies nutritional guidance and supplements to athletes ranging from Barry Bonds to Bill Romanowski to Marion Jones, was the subject of enforcement action last month by the Internal Revenue Service and a San Mateo County narcotics task force.
No arrests were made, and IRS spokesman Mark Lessler said he could not comment on the purpose of the unannounced visit to BALCO.
Sprinter Kelli White, whose failed drug test for the stimulant modafinil at this summer's track and field World Championships could cost her a pair of sprint gold medals, also is associated with Conte. Her case currently is being considered by USADA.
White was prescribed modafinil by Dr. Brian Goldman, a psychiatrist who has worked with Conte for nearly 20 years. And White's coach, Remi Korchemny, joined with Conte to form a track club.
As part of the retesting of the 350 samples from the U.S. track championships, Madden said, officials discovered several positives for modafinil — which White claims she was taking for the sleep disorder narcolepsy.
"Information we gathered showed athletes were using modafinil as a stimulant," Madden said. He said there's no chemical link between modafinil and THG.
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Thursday, October 16, 2003
SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (search) has uncovered a widespread drug conspiracy involving coaches, chemists and several track athletes who tested positive for a previously undetectable steroid and now face suspensions that could bar them from the 2004 Athens Olympics.
USADA chief executive officer Terry Madden said Thursday that both American and international athletes had tested positive for the steroid, known as tetrahydrogestrinone (search), or THG. He said the ongoing inquiry began with an anonymous tip and has expanded to include U.S. professional sports.
"I know of no other drug bust that is larger than this involving the number of athletes involved," said Madden, who refused to reveal the names, genders or nationalities of the athletes, or to be more specific about how many had tested positive.
Olympic athletes face drug tests at major competitions, as well as random testing between events. Their samples are divided in two and stored for future reference.
The athletes whose "A" samples revealed THG have been notified and will now have their "B" samples tested. If those also are positive, a review process will begin. Appeals could last for months. Track athletes found to have used steroids would face two-year bans.
"What we have uncovered appears to be intentional doping of the worst sort," Madden said in a conference call from USADA headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo. "This is a far cry from athletes accidentally testing positive as a result of taking contaminated nutritional supplements.
"Rather, this is a conspiracy involving chemists, coaches and certain athletes using what they developed to be `undetectable' designer steroids to defraud their fellow competitors and the American and world public who pay to attend sports events."
THG has a chemical structure similar to the banned anabolic steroids gestrinome (search) and trenbolone (search), Madden said. Though THG is not specifically named as a banned substance in world track, it would be considered a related substance outlawed under the sport's doping rules.
Madden said the USADA received a call from a man in early June claiming to be a track coach and naming athletes whom he claimed were using an undetectable designer steroid. He then sent the agency, by overnight courier, a used syringe containing some of the substance, Madden said.
The anti-doping laboratory at UCLA run by Don Catlin determined that the syringe contained THG, leading the USADA to retest 350 urine samples taken from athletes at the U.S. track and field championships in late June at Stanford, as well as 100 samples from random out-of-competition tests.
Madden said USADA contacted federal authorities with the findings. He wouldn't say how many of the samples tested positive for THG.
Madden said the anonymous tipster identified the source of the THG as Victor Conte, founder of BALCO laboratory of Burlingame. Madden would not say whether he had independent proof the substance came from Conte or BALCO.
"Everything that the coach has identified to us up to this time is true. We are fairly certain this substance came from Victor Conte and BALCO labs," said Madden, refusing to provide more specifics about what made him so certain.
Madden said he had not spoken with Conte, and Conte did not immediately respond Thursday to an e-mail inquiry from The Associated Press. A message left by phone at BALCO went unanswered.
BALCO, which supplies nutritional guidance and supplements to athletes ranging from Barry Bonds to Bill Romanowski to Marion Jones, was the subject of enforcement action last month by the Internal Revenue Service and a San Mateo County narcotics task force.
No arrests were made, and IRS spokesman Mark Lessler said he could not comment on the purpose of the unannounced visit to BALCO.
Sprinter Kelli White, whose failed drug test for the stimulant modafinil at this summer's track and field World Championships could cost her a pair of sprint gold medals, also is associated with Conte. Her case currently is being considered by USADA.
White was prescribed modafinil by Dr. Brian Goldman, a psychiatrist who has worked with Conte for nearly 20 years. And White's coach, Remi Korchemny, joined with Conte to form a track club.
As part of the retesting of the 350 samples from the U.S. track championships, Madden said, officials discovered several positives for modafinil — which White claims she was taking for the sleep disorder narcolepsy.
"Information we gathered showed athletes were using modafinil as a stimulant," Madden said. He said there's no chemical link between modafinil and THG.
