Pound And Conte In Landmark Meeting
Victor Conte, the founder of Balco – the infamous technology firm that supplied a number of top athletes with performance-enhancing drugs, has handed over a raft of information to Dick Pound, the outgoing chief of the World Anti-Doping Agency, in a landmark meeting this week.
Conte provided Pound with ‘detailed information on rampant drug use within sport’ at the meeting.
He commented: ‘I hope this will help create a more level playing field. I’m also doing this for the athletes of the future. I feel it’s some of the poor decisions and past mistakes I’ve made that uniquely qualifies me to make a contribution.
‘I shared specific knowledge of past and present Olympic-calibre athletes, coaches and suppliers involved with doping around the world, and showed how they’ve been able to easily circumvent the anti-doping procedures in place.’
Balco supplied a host of star athletes, including disgraced US athlete Marion Jones and British sprinter Dwain Chambers, with performance-enhancing drugs in one of the biggest drugs scandals of recent years.
Conte served a four-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute steroids and money laundering in 2005.
The meeting was Pound’s last act as president of WADA before he hands over the presidency to Australian John Fahey in January. Former IOC vice president Pound has been in charge of WADA since the Montreal-based organisation was set up in 1999.
