Steroid probe taints sports world

OAKLAND, Calif. — The steroid scandal that began when a disgruntled track coach sent a syringe to Olympic authorities is rapidly spreading across the sports world.

Already, last week's allegations that a Bay area dietary-supplements company provided "designer steroids" to American track and field athletes has cast doubt on America's 2004 Olympic team and overshadowed some of the company's prominent clients in professional sports. The National Football League and National Basketball Association have also said the findings might lead them to rewrite their drug codes.

Given the sweep of the investigation, which has included a federal raid of the Bay area firm, this could become the biggest doping bust in sports history, experts say.

"This shows what a challenge drug testing is in the world of sport," says Dr. Frank Uryasz, founder of the National Center for Drug Free Sport in Kansas City, Mo. "We're always wondering if there is something under the radar."

The current allegations arise from a tip by an unnamed track and field coach. He told the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the organization responsible for testing American Olympic athletes, that some athletes were using a steroid that could not be traced by current drug tests. The agency analyzed the syringe sent by the coach and determined the substance to be a steroid called tetrahydrogestrinone, or THG.

When the USADA tested track athletes again — knowing how to trace THG — several tested positive. The agency has not yet released the number of athletes who tested positive or their names but said the coach who sent the sample claimed it came from the Bay area Laboratories Co-Operative (BALCO) in Burlingame, Calif.

Federal officials, including agents from the Internal Revenue Service and the Food and Drug Administration, raided BALCO offices on Sept. 3. Now, numerous media accounts report that BALCO founder Victor Conte says as many as 40 of his clients, including San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds, have been subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury, though it is not yet clear what information the grand jury is seeking.

For his part, Conte has insisted that he was not the source of the THG, and he contested the notion that the substance is either illegal or performance-enhancing. In the past, Bonds has praised BALCO, saying he uses the lab to analyze his blood and recommend legal supplements to ensure optimum nutrition.