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The use of steroids has caused trouble for some of the world's best athletes
in the past. In 1998, at the height of his bid for the homerun record, baseball
star Mark McGwire admitted to using the muscle-enhancing steroid Androstenedione,
a drug banned by the NFL and the Olympics but not by major league baseball. In
1988, Olympic officials stripped Canadian runner Ben Johnson of his gold medal
and world record at the games in Seoul, Korea, after he tested positive for steroids.
Johnson was banned from competition for life. Officials
at the Olympic lab at UCLA told The New York Times that the probability that athletes
are still using other undetectable designer steroids is high.
"This
might be the tip of the iceberg," said Dr. Caroline Hatton, a chemist at
the lab. We hope to learn more in a few days, weeks, months. We're a little afraid
of what we don't know and may never learn." Following the discovery
of THG, several athletic organizations have taken steps to discourage their athletes
from taking the drug. The International Olympic Committee added THG to their list
of banned substances and warned that they will test for the drug at the 2004 Athens
Games; USA Track & Field officials have proposed a plan that would place a
lifetime ban and a fine of up to $100,000 on any athlete who tests positive for
steroids; and International Ski Federation officials and Rugby World Cup officials
have said they will test competitors in the coming season, according to the Associated
Press. In
Congress Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) and Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch have
introduced joint legislation that would make THG and Androstenedione illegal under
the federal Controlled Substances Act.
A grand jury meeting in San Francisco
will continue to question athletes as it tries to decide whether to bring charges
against BALCO. --
Kristina Nwazota, Online NewsHour |