Sprinter drug claims threaten Olympic crisis

The World Anti-Doping Agency demands that former champion sprinter Marion Jones should be stripped of her medals if fresh drugs allegations against her prove true.

The demand was backed last night by Britain's long distance running star Paula Radcliffe, who said athletes testing positive for anabolic steroids and other illegal performance-enhancing drugs should face criminal charges.

The calls emerged following allegations from the United States that Jones, the world's best-known female athlete and the 100m and 200m winner at the 2000 Olympics, allegedly used a specially designed drugs program before those Games.

She won a record five medals, including three golds.

Victor Conte, the founder and owner of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative in San Francisco, alleges he drew up a program for Jones that included steroids, human growth hormone and insulin.

He says she easily avoided detection despite tests on many occasions.

Jones says Conte's allegations are untrue.

But Conte's allegations immediately drew the attention of International Olympic Committee and World Anti-Doping Agency officials.

The agency president Dick Pound says Jones ought to forfeit her five medals if Conte is telling the truth.

IOC president Jacques Rogge says he hopes the truth will emerge. People want the truth and want to know what happened and the more we know the better.

Source: CRIENGLISH.com