"What we have uncovered appears to be intentional doping of the worst sort," Madden said during a telephone news conference. He called the case "a conspiracy involving chemists, coaches and certain athletes to defraud their competitors, and the American and world public who pay to attend sporting events." Conte, has been a nutritional consultant in the Bay area since the mid-1980s. He is widely known for touting the use of zinc to boost testosterone production, and monitoring athletes' mineral levels through blood tests. In the June issue of Muscle & Fitness magazine, Bonds enthused about Conte's physical fitness regimen and nutritional advice, saying, "I'm just shocked by what they've been able to do for me." As many as 40 track athletes face subpoenas By Shaun Assael ESPN the Magazine Three track and field athletes who flunked drug tests have been subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury that is investigating whether a prominent San Francisco nutritionist has links to what one anti-doping official calls "an international doping conspiracy," ESPN has learned. The three athletes were tested at the U.S. Track & Field Nationals in Palo Alto, Calif., in June. The results were reported in the last several weeks. One of the athletes was a client of Balco Labs, the supplement and nutrition company run by Victor Conte. The controversial nutritionist boasts of a roster of professional and Olympic sports stars as customers. As many as 40 other athletes also may have received subpoenas, according to a source close to the case, who added: "The names I've heard are some of the biggest names in sports." On Thursday, anti-doping official Terry Madden, director of the U.S Anti-Doping Agency, identified Conte as the alleged supplier of the previously undetected steroid THG, which was detected in the three athletes. Conte issued a denial. "What we have uncovered appears to be intentional doping of the worst sort," Madden said during a telephone news conference. He called the case "a conspiracy involving chemists, coaches and certain athletes to defraud their competitors, and the American and world public who pay to attend sporting events." THG was discovered in early May, when a source whom Madden would identify only as a "high-profile" track coach called USADA, an independent agency charged with handling drug cases for the U.S. Olympic Committee. Although the coach refused to identify himself, he offered to send USADA a syringe filled with the drug that he said was being used by cheaters, according to Madden. The syringe was delivered to the Olympic Analysis Lab at UCLA, which has made several high-profile discoveries of underground designer steroids in the last two years. The lab's director, Don Catlin, ultimately identified the substance as tetrahydrogestrinone, a relative of the banned steroid trenbolone. Until then, USADA hadn't tested for THG because it didn't know the drug existed, Madden said. Madden described THG as a "very sophisticated designer steroid created by some very sophisticated chemists" who are under federal investigation. He said the athletes placed a few drops of the oil-based steroid under their tongues and expected that any trace of it would pass through their bodies quickly. But the drug did not pass as quickly as they apparently thought. Catlin developed a test for the steroid in secret, then used it to retest samples taken from the athletes at the Nationals. About 350 tests were conducted on competitors at that event. A hundred more tests were done in other sports. Madden would not identify which sports were targeted, or say how many athletes have tested positive. He also would not comment on the investigation that led USADA officials to identify Conte publicly. He did say, however, that the professional sports leagues were notified. In September, agents for the Internal Revenue Service raided Balco, in Burlingame, Calif., carting out boxes of records and raising suspicions that federal agents are interested in its finances. By then, Madden said, they already had been told about USADA's findings. Balco's clients include Barry Bonds, Bill Romanowksi, and Olympic stars Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery. Sprinter Kelli White, who flunked the test for the stimulant modafinil at the recent world track and field championships, also is associated with BALCO. Her case is being considered by USADA, and could cost her a pair of gold medals. That drug, a stimulant, has no connection with THG. Madden said that his staff has not contacted Conte. Don Clay, the assistant U.S. attorney in San Francisco who is heading up the case, did not return calls seeking comment. In e-mails to several newspapers Thursday, Conte denied BALCO was the source of the substance. "In my opinion, this is about jealous competitive coaches and athletes that all have a history of promoting and using performance-enhancing agents being 'completely hypocritical' in their actions," he said. Conte, a former bassist for the group Tower of Power, has been a nutritional consultant in the Bay area since the mid-1980s. He is widely known for touting the use of zinc to boost testosterone production, and monitoring athletes' mineral levels through blood tests. In the June issue of Muscle & Fitness magazine, Bonds enthused about Conte's physical fitness regimen and nutritional advice, saying, "I'm just shocked by what they've been able to do for me." Bonds' agent, Scott Boras, told the San Francisco Chronicle this week that the investigation "really doesn't involve Bonds."
Marion Jones was one of his clients as well which could really suck, but Bonds and Romo that just cracks me up - indeed what a shocker...
He doesn't sweat because all of the roids have completely disolved his testicles. No worries though because Jeter provides all the testicles he needs in his life.
I heard that the Kobe case is going to be like the OJ case. The only difference is that the kobe's case will be on steroids compared to OJ's Not good news for such a talented young man.
I never knew that they (USADA) stored Olympic athletes urine for future testing, I guess now we know what's going on at the Coors factory in Golden Colorado... New Steroid Tests Catch Some U.S. Runners Fri Oct 17, 8:31 AM ET By ROB GLOSTER, AP Sports Writer Several track athletes tested positive for a steroid that until recently was undetectable and now face suspensions that could bar them from the 2004 Athens Olympics, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said Thursday. USADA chief executive officer Terry Madden called it a widespread "conspiracy" involving chemists, coaches and athletes that was brought to the agency's attention by an anonymous tip. He said the inquiry began in June and has expanded to other U.S. professional sports, but wouldn't give specifics. He also refused to give details about the athletes or say how many tested positive for the steroid, known as tetrahydrogestrinone, or THG. 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. After determining the syringe contained THG, the USADA retested 350 urine samples taken from athletes at the U.S. track and field championships in June at Stanford, as well as 100 samples from random out-of-competition tests. The anonymous tipster, Madden said, identified the source of the THG as Victor Conte, founder of BALCO laboratory of Burlingame, Calif. The lab supplies nutritional guidance and supplements to athletes ranging from Barry Bonds to Bill Romanowski to Marion Jones. "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 be specific. "In my opinion, this is about jealous competitive coaches and athletes that all have a history of promoting and using performance enhancing agents being 'completely hypocritical' in their actions," Conte wrote. Agents from the Internal Revenue Service and a San Mateo County narcotics task force went to BALCO last month. No arrests were made, and IRS spokesman Mark Lessler wouldn't comment on the visit. USA Track & Field, in a statement, said it didn't know all the details of the anti-doping agency's probe but said those responsible "should be held accountable for their actions." U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman Darryl Seibel said: "We created USADA to be a leader in the fight against doping in sport. There is no issue of greater importance to the USOC and their effort underscores the commitment we've made."
It's subpoena time! MLB All-Star, sprinter clients of BALCO ESPN.com news services http://espn.go.com/oly/news/2003/1019/1641591.html SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds and sprint champion Kelli White were among the 40 athletes subpoenaed by a federal grand jury in the budding steroid scandal, Agence France-Presse reported Saturday. According to the report, Victor Conte, the president of under-investigation BALCO Laboratories, told the San Jose Mercury News and the San Francisco Chronicle that his top clients are being asked to testify about tetrahydrogestrinone, or THG. Conte told the newspapers that seven professional football players and five Major League Baseball players were among those compelled to testify in hearings on the West Coast that are expected to begin next week. "I do know that Barry has received a subpoena," Conte wrote in an e-mail to The Chronicle. "There are at least seven NFL players that I know of, plus at least four professional baseball players, that have received a subpoena. Most of the other athletes are from track and field. My understanding is that 40 elite Olympic and professional athletes have been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury." In the June issue of Muscle & Fitness magazine, Bonds enthused about Conte's physical fitness regimen and nutritional advice, saying, "I'm just shocked by what they've been able to do for me." Bonds' agent, Scott Boras, told The Chronicle last week that the investigation "really doesn't involve Bonds." White confirmed to the Mercury News that she was subpoenaed but denied a role in the steroid inquiry. "I really don't have anything to do with that situation," she said. "That's not me." The doping scandal erupted earlier this week when news broke that three track and field athletes who flunked drug tests had been subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury that is investigating what one anti-doping official calls "an international doping conspiracy." The three athletes were tested at the U.S. Track & Field Nationals in Palo Alto, Calif., in June and one of the athletes was a client of BALCO. The controversial nutritionist boasts of a roster of professional and Olympic sports stars as customers, and one source close to the case said Thursday that "the names I've heard are some of the biggest names in sports." "I know of no other drug bust that is larger than this involving the number of athletes involved," anti-doping official Terry Madden, director of the U.S Anti-Doping Agency, told The Associated Press on Friday. He refused to reveal the names or genders of the athletes, or to be more specific about how many had tested positive. On Thursday, Madden identified Conte as the alleged supplier of the previously undetected steroid THG, which was detected in the three athletes -- a charge Conte has denied. "What we have uncovered appears to be intentional doping of the worst sort," Madden said during a news conference. He called the case "a conspiracy involving chemists, coaches and certain athletes to defraud their competitors, and the American and world public who pay to attend sporting events." In September, agents for the Internal Revenue Service raided BALCO, in Burlingame, Calif., carting out boxes of records and raising suspicions that federal agents are interested in its finances. By then, Madden said, they already had been told about USADA's findings. Besides Bonds and White, BALCO's clients include, Bill Romanowksi, and Olympic stars Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery. Conte said Thursday that BALCO was not the source of the substance. "In my opinion, this is about jealous competitive coaches and athletes that all have a history of promoting and using performance-enhancing agents being completely hypocritical in their actions," he said.
Sweet designer roids dawg got to get me some Hilfiger dope... 'Designer' steroid doping scandal widens 17:12 21 October 03 NewScientist.com news service http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994296 The "designer" steroid doping scandal uncovered in the US took on a global dimension on Tuesday with the announcement that up to 400 urine samples collected at the World Championships in Athletics in August are to be re-tested. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which organised the Championships in Paris, will look for tetrahydrogestrinone (THG). This has a similar structure to the banned anabolic steroid, gestrinone, but cannot be detected by conventional tests. Gestrinone is known to increase muscle strength. There is no research on the newly-discovered THG, but experts expect it will also have performance enhancing effects. Its use by athletes was uncovered by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after the development of a new analysis technique at the University of California Los Angeles. The USADA announced on 16 October that a number of urine samples collected during the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in June had tested positive for the drug. Scientists look for evidence of drug use by analysing compounds extracted from urine with mass spectrometry. This breaks up the molecules and sorts the resulting fragments by mass. Steroids contain chemical groups with characteristic masses, and can therefore be identified. THG was modified in such a way that it lacked these characteristic chemical groups, making it invisible to conventional tests. However, because they had a sample of the designer drug, Don Catlin and his UCLA colleagues could develop a way to detect THG. "It took him and three people six weeks of hard work to devise the test," When will Romo get his subpoena yah know its coming.
Do athlete's really need to go through all this to gain a minuscule advantage over their competition? All this doping is starting to seem really foolish, all the anti-doping agencies store competitors "fluids" so eventually they are going to get caught one way or another. I guess they have already made their millions by that point though... THG's chemical components are similar to those of most banned steroids, but with an insidious twist: THG disintegrates during the standard testing process, foiling even the skilled doping detectives who hunt for steroids in urine samples, said Dr. Don Catlin of the University of California, Los Angeles Olympic Analytical Laboratory. "This is junior chemistry compared to what's coming," warned Dr. Gary Wadler, a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency. 'Designer Steroid' Rocking Sports World By PAUL ELIAS, AP Biotechnology Writer SAN FRANCISCO - A designer steroid at the center of a sports doping scandal is synthesized so craftily that it is undetectable by the standard test given to athletes. Europe's fastest man — 100-meter champion Dwain Chambers of Britain — has admitted taking tetrahydrogestrinone, or THG. Other athletes — including sluggers Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi and boxer Shane Mosley — have been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury investigating the nutritional supplement company at the center of the unfolding case. Because of the scandal, USA Track & Field, the sport's national governing body, proposed tougher drug rules Wednesday that could include a lifetime ban for a first steroid offense. The organization also disclosed that four of its athletes tested positive for THG, and they could be barred from the 2004 Olympics. THG's chemical components are similar to those of most banned steroids, but with an insidious twist: THG disintegrates during the standard testing process, foiling even the skilled doping detectives who hunt for steroids in urine samples, said Dr. Don Catlin of the University of California, Los Angeles Olympic Analytical Laboratory. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which monitors drug use by athletes in Olympic sports, turned to Catlin when it received a syringe of the stuff from an unidentified track coach this summer. After weeks of extensive tests, Catlin and his colleagues identified the substance as a "new chemical entity" with all the hallmarks of an anabolic steroid. Anabolic steroids are synthetic versions of the male hormone testosterone. Doctors prescribe them to AIDS patients and other disease-stricken people who lose muscle mass. Athletes use them illegally as chemical shortcuts to bulk up, build endurance and recover better from training. They can have dangerous side effects, including liver damage, heart disease, anxiety and rage. There are at least a hundred known anabolic steroids, and professional doping sleuths such as Catlin have amassed a library of chemical fingerprints of these illegal substances that they match against athletes' urine samples. To find steroid traces in urine, scientists use gas chromatography and mass spectrometry testing. The testing involves drying the sample, adding chemicals and then heating it. But THG disintegrates during this process and goes undetected, Catlin said. Catlin, however, said he has developed a new process that keeps the essential signature of THG from disintegrating. He said he is making his recipe available to international doping detection agencies. The burgeoning scandal is the latest example of the cat-and-mouse game between makers of illicit drugs and the anti-doping officials who must constantly readjust their tests to detect ever-evolving substances. Exactly who developed THG is unclear and is under investigation. Victor Conte, owner of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative recently raided by federal officials, has denied being the supplier of THG. He has not been charged with a crime, and his lawyers deny he has committed any wrongdoing. Furthermore, Conte has said that there is no proof THG is a steroid by the scientific definition. Catlin, however, said he is convinced that THG is in fact a steroid. What he and other scientists are not so sure of is whether THG was deliberately designed to evade detection or whether its creator got lucky. "But then I also tend not to underestimate the people who do this," he said. Federal law makes possession of anabolic steroids illegal without a doctor's prescription. But some lawyers contend THG may not fit the legal definition of a steroid. "It's apparently a newly created substance," said New York defense attorney Rick Collins, a former prosecutor who has defended clients accused of illegal steroid possession. "At this point we have no evidence, only speculation." Collins said a stronger criminal case could be made that THG is an unapproved drug that violates Food and Drug Administration regulations for the marketing of pharmaceuticals. Either way, sports governing bodies worldwide are moving to crack down on THG use. The NFL has said the league might retest its samples for THG. Swimming's world governing body said it would consider retesting drug samples from its world championships this summer. Major league baseball said it will be unable to retest samples taken this year for THG, but plans to discuss whether to add it to the list of banned substances. Anti-doping scientists said Catlin's discovery may confirm what they have suspected for years: that there is a robust underground trade in performance-enhancers created specifically to evade detection. "This is junior chemistry compared to what's coming," warned Dr. Gary Wadler, a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency.
I agree i've heard Carl Lewis' name mentioned more than once for using performance enhancing substances, but I think this is really a world-wide scandal. I wonder how many athletes have been given steroids, speed, etc. without even knowing they were taking anything illegal. Their trainer gives them a daily mix of "legal" vitamins, supplements, etc. when in reality they are consuming illegal drugs.
