Largest Drug Bust In Athletics History

[ilw]

American anti-doping chiefs have revealed "several" US athletes have tested positive for a new anabolic steroid.

The positive "A" samples came from 350 doping tests at June's US championships and 100 later out-of-competition tests

The United States Anti-Doping Agency would not name the athletes who tested positive for tetrahydrogestrinone.

"What we have uncovered appears to be intentional doping of the worst sort," said USADA chief Terry Madden.

In what is described as the largest drug bust in athletics history, the USADA said a number of international athletes had also tested positive and there had also been positive samples for the stimulant modafinil.

The substance tetrahydrogestrinone was initially found during analysis of the contents of a syringe handed in, under anonymity, by a "top" athletics coach.

"This is a conspiracy involving chemists, coaches and certain athletes using what they developed to be undetectable designer steroids," said Madden.

"This is a very sophisticated designer steroid created by very sophisticated chemists.

"The athletes who did take part in this were very sure of themselves in being undetectable.

"Although the effects would last months, we believe the detection of the steroid in the body would only last a short period of time, three to seven days."

The International Association of Athletics Federations and the athletes involved have been notified of the USADA's findings, but no names are likely to be released until December.

All of the athletes with positive tests would be subject to a two-year ban and would be ineligible for next year's Olympics if their "B" samples are also positive.

World Anti-Doping Agency president Dick Pound welcomed the findings.

"We have to wait until the "B" samples are analysed and proper process completed," said Pound.

"But this is a serious warning for cheaters. It shows that supposedly undetectable substances can be detected as new tests are developed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/3199132.stm


Busted?

[oldmancan]

Biggest Bust in Athletics... I don't know... Was this girl using a gym locker?

[blackhatknight]

is this the stupidist idea in the world?

everyone knows that it is impossible, due the high drug usage, to compete at the higher levels in sport without their use, is it not time maybe the rules where relaxed, obviously this isn't great for it's image but I feel it's the only way to return to the competitive nature of sport

[Billy_Dean]

[Blackhatknight]
everyone knows that it is impossible, due the high drug usage, to compete at the higher levels in sport without their use, is it not time maybe the rules where relaxed, obviously this isn't great for it's image but I feel it's the only way to return to the competitive nature of sport

As a parent with kids I encourage to play sport, it would horrify me to think the only way for them to compete on equal terms was to take drugs. If any sort of drug were allowed, it would be used to mask drugs that weren't allowed. The only way, in my opinion, is zero tolerence, and life bans, whole life bans.

[blackhatknight]

Originally posted by Billy_Dean@17 October 2003 - 19:09

As a parent with kids I encourage to play sport, it would horrify me to think the only way for them to compete on equal terms was to take drugs.

Totally understand where your coming from and i do argee with you however i feel the only way to compete at professional level is through drug usage, this is admittedly sad and i would like to be proved wrong

I would offer current (as in past 20 years or so) record shattering preformances as evidence of this, surely we didn't evolve substainally over such a short time to accommadate such advancements, and I think there's only so much a better diet can better training can do, the body (the vessel for achievement), i feel has remained largely unchange for quite a few centuries

[Barbarossa]

We're lucky we only have to worry about drugs in sport, the next generation will probably have to wrestle with genetic modifications..

[echidna]

i agree with colinmac
with the amount of money and attention afforded sport in order to sell artery thickening, petrochemical promoting advertising, we should expect, no demand that the athletes we watch are as chemically and cybernetically enhanced as might improve our viewing spectacle. bigger faster and with more crashes. that's what sport needs.
i want to see how big chinese women swimmers can get, sprinters with grafted ostrich legs and midget eurasian gymnasts with cartilage skeletons.

[Barbarossa]

Swimmers with webbed feet...

Long-jumpers with bats-wings....

Big fat rectangular-shaped goalkeepers filling up the whole goal in football

[ilw]

Sorry to get a bit serious again, but...

Just a couple of related things

Athletics' world governing body is to re-test all urine samples given at this year's World Championships.

Some more info on THG

What is Balco?

Balco is the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative, a company which makes nutritional supplements. It has been identified by the United States Anti-Doping Agency as the source of THG.

The company analyses blood and urine from athletes and then prescribes a series of supplements to compensate for vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Among its clients are top athletics stars Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, as well as baseball star Barry Bonds and the NFL's Bill Romanowski.

Dwaine Chambers fails drug test for THG

[Barbarossa]

I'd be interested to see what they do if they get dozens of positive results...

Will they be asking everyone to give their medals back?