Conte to tell Pound about doping

SAN FRANCISCO: The head of the former BALCO laboratory Victor Conte promised on Monday to tell World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president Dick Pound on Wednesday the names of Olympic athletes he believed were involved in doping.

Earlier on Monday the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it had delayed a decision to reallocate medals won by American sprinter Marion Jones at the 2000 Sydney Olympic because more athletes might be involved in the BALCO scandal.

Jones, who won five medals in Sydney including three golds, has returned her medals after confessing to using drugs. She was one of several prominent sporting figures who were clients of the San Francisco-based laboratory, including baseball's home-run record-holder Barry Bonds.

"It's important that what I have to share be considered before the IOC awards any medal upgrades," Conte told media.

Bonds has been charged with perjury over alleged drugs use.

"I intend to provide detailed information involving a history of rampant drug use at the elite level of sport," Conte said.

"I plan to share specific knowledge of past and present Olympic-caliber athletes, coaches and suppliers involved with doping around the world and how they've been able to easily circumvent the anti-doping procedures in place.

"This intelligence may be important not only for WADA, but also for the International Olympic Committee.

"For example, Marion Jones recently gave back her five medals from the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, and as a result, other athletes are in line to receive Olympic medals or medal upgrades.

"Several of Jones's competitors may have also used performance-enhancing drugs and it's important that what I have to share be considered before the IOC awards any medal upgrades."

Thanou benefit

Among those standing to benefit from upgrading is Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou, who won the 100m silver in 2000 but was suspended for two years in 2004 after missing a doping test on the eve of the Athens Olympics.

A Greek prosecutor recently shelved an investigation into possible links between BALCO and Thanou, fellow sprinter Costas Kenteris and their former coach Christos Tzekos because of a lack of evidence.

IOC disciplinary commission member Denis Oswald told reporters in Lausanne that the IOC needed more information on the BALCO affair before upgrading athletes. Asked whether he was referring to Thanou, Oswald said: "Yes."

Conte, who served four months in prison after pleading guilty to running an illegal steroids distribution scheme, said he now wanted to make a contribution to making sports more fair.

"It's my hope that this will help with the effort to create a more genuine level playing field for the competitors and to enhance the perception of integrity for the fans.

"I'm also doing this for the young athletes of the future. Ironically, I feel it's some of the poor decisions and past mistakes I've made that uniquely qualifies me to make a contribution."

Agencies

(China Daily 12/12/2007 page24)