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Olympic drug testing efforts attacked
BALCO kingpin says WADA is ineffective
Cheating is still rife in sport despite improved testing and more than half the sprint semifinalists at the 2012 Olympics are likely to use illegal drugs at some stage of their preparations, says Victor Conte, the man at the heart of the BALCO doping scandal.
"Do I think it's still rampant cheating in sports? Yes, I do," Conte said, ahead of today's 10th anniversary of the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Asked how many of those who reach the 100 metres semifinals at the London Games could have used performance-enhancing substances, Conte said: "I will use the term 'overwhelming majority'."
Conte, whose clients included the likes of Barry Bonds, Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, said it is easy to circumvent the anti-doping policies and procedures in place today.
"Testing athletes at competition is more of an IQ test than a drug test because athletes have to be pretty ****** to fail a drug test at a competition," he said. "You want to use steroids during the off season because that is when you build your explosive strength base and believe me, it serves you months and months later during the competitive season."
Conte said drug testing has improved, but loopholes remain that someone could "drive a Mack truck through".
"It's a cat-and-mouse game and maybe I am the self-proclaimed greatest mouse who ever lived," said Conte. "But I know how the mice think. That is what I did for a number of years ."
To be effective, Conte said WADA needs to travel to the countries without independent anti-doping federations and test these athletes during the off-season -- and increase the number of what he calls "fourth quarter" tests.
"This is when the athletes use the drugs. But instead of increasing the number of tests in the fourth quarter, as I advised, they cut them in half. They are enabling, harbouring and promoting the use of drugs or they are ignorant," he said. "Why, when this is the time you have been advised the fish are biting, [do] you lean your pole up against the tree, put a straw hat on and take a nap?"
Why do the Mayweather's insist on using an agency riddled with loopholes?
BALCO kingpin says WADA is ineffective
Cheating is still rife in sport despite improved testing and more than half the sprint semifinalists at the 2012 Olympics are likely to use illegal drugs at some stage of their preparations, says Victor Conte, the man at the heart of the BALCO doping scandal.
"Do I think it's still rampant cheating in sports? Yes, I do," Conte said, ahead of today's 10th anniversary of the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Asked how many of those who reach the 100 metres semifinals at the London Games could have used performance-enhancing substances, Conte said: "I will use the term 'overwhelming majority'."
Conte, whose clients included the likes of Barry Bonds, Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, said it is easy to circumvent the anti-doping policies and procedures in place today.
"Testing athletes at competition is more of an IQ test than a drug test because athletes have to be pretty ****** to fail a drug test at a competition," he said. "You want to use steroids during the off season because that is when you build your explosive strength base and believe me, it serves you months and months later during the competitive season."
Conte said drug testing has improved, but loopholes remain that someone could "drive a Mack truck through".
"It's a cat-and-mouse game and maybe I am the self-proclaimed greatest mouse who ever lived," said Conte. "But I know how the mice think. That is what I did for a number of years ."
To be effective, Conte said WADA needs to travel to the countries without independent anti-doping federations and test these athletes during the off-season -- and increase the number of what he calls "fourth quarter" tests.
"This is when the athletes use the drugs. But instead of increasing the number of tests in the fourth quarter, as I advised, they cut them in half. They are enabling, harbouring and promoting the use of drugs or they are ignorant," he said. "Why, when this is the time you have been advised the fish are biting, [do] you lean your pole up against the tree, put a straw hat on and take a nap?"
Why do the Mayweather's insist on using an agency riddled with loopholes?
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