Victor Conte has traveled to London for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The last time he went to the Olympics, he was to help provide anabolic steroids to some of the top American athletes. This time he is at the Olympics for an entirely different purpose. While he will still support American athletes in general and provide support for one American in particular, his support does not include providing undetectable, banned performance-enhancing steroids to Olympians. Conte has become an anti-doping advocate who wants to help officials eliminate steroids from the Olympics.
This doesn’t mean that anti-doping officials will welcome Conte at the Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and other prominent organizations that claim to support an anti-doping agenda do not seem particularly fond of Conte. It may have something to do with Conte’s previous success at thwarting the anti-doping movement. Or it may have more to do with Conte’s criticism of the effectiveness of current anti-doping methods.
Conte has firsthand experience with creating undetectable anabolic steroids. He was the founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) which procured tetrahydrogestinone (THG) from the noted organic chemist Patrick Arnold. THG was the infamous undetectable steroid used by Marion Jones, the darling of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, when she won her Olympic gold medals in Sydney.
Conte claims that his experience with undetectable PEDs make him uniquely qualified to help anti-doping officials catch steroid users. Conte has made several valid criticisms of the current anti-doping system.
“I feel an obligation and a responsbility to tell the truth,” said Conte. “When (officials) say they have the best testing in the world, I point out that they might not. And I hope they’re starting to listen.”
WADA and USADA don’t seem interested in listening to Conte. Anti-doping officials seem more intent on creating the perception that they are effectively dealing with steroid problem than actually catching steroid users.
Even though Conte no longer is involved in the underground world of doping, he has anticipated problems during his trip to London. In preparation for his trip, he retained the services of Magrath LLP, a London law firm, in case he had problems clearing customs. He also traveled with a folder containing letters and articles documenting his anti-doping work and his support of steroid-free athletes.
Conte is not banned from attending any Olympic events. He is not even banned from working with Olympic athletes. In fact, he has been working with American boxer Marlen Esparza. Esparza has publicly defended Conte and has even given him special access during the Olympics.
“I’m here to cheer for American athletes including Marlen Esparza,” said Conte. “It’s really that simple. London is a wonderful city. And we expect to have a great time and a wonderful Olympic Games experience.”
Source:
Thompson, T. (August 3, 2012). BALCO founder Victor Conte, now an anti-doping advocate, arrives at the London Olympics to work with American boxer Marlen Esparza . Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/olympics-2012/balco-founder-victor-conte-anti-doping-advocate-arrives-london-olympics-work-american-boxer-marlen-esparza-article-1.1128189
