04/20/24
December 08, 2004
Marion Jones on the hot seat: The International Olympic Committee joined the investigation yesterday into allegations that Marion Jones, the American gold-medal sprinter, had used anabolic steroids and other illegal bodybuilding drugs. In a statement from its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, the I.O.C. said that its president, Jacques Rogge, had appointed a disciplinary commission of three members to look into the matter. Jones and other track and field athletes and baseball players have testified before a federal grand jury in San Francisco, and the United States Anti-Doping Agency has been investigating Jones and other track figures.
They've gotta prove that she cheated. I think that she probably did, but that's not enough. They need good enough drug tests to detect this stuff.. relying on the words of Conte isn't going to cut it. That said, if they can show she cheated in some time period, then they should strip all of the medals she got from that period to present-day and ban her from future competitions.
(For what it's worth, if I were the one making this post, I'd summarize the article instead of just posting the first two paragraphs of it. Then, continuing in the post, I'd ask the questions that you ask in your first comment. I think that would get a better discussion going. But that's just me.)
posted by blarp at 11:07 AM on December 08, 2004
I'm curious to find out more about Conte's assertions that Jones not only injected, but was actually careless about leaving the injecting device (some transdermal thingamajiggy) in hotels and such. If so, there's gotta be more evidence laying around.
posted by garfield at 11:36 AM on December 08, 2004
NPR had a story on this subject last Saturday (it's about 5 minutes long). The intro paragraph from my link: BALCO Head Confirms Doping, Ties M. Jones to Steroid Use Weekend Edition - Saturday, December 4, 2004 In an interview on ABC TV, the head of the nutritional supplements lab BALCO says he provided illegal steroids for Olympic track star Marion Jones and other athletes. The interview was the first public admission by Victor Conte that his lab provided illegal substances to athletes. Jones denies the allegations and vows to sue. NPR's Tom Goldman reports.
posted by NoMich at 12:56 PM on December 08, 2004
obviously they should have whacked Conte to cover their tracks...he's the singing steroid salesman now...
posted by chris2sy at 01:21 PM on December 08, 2004
When I was listening to the NPR story about this, I kept wondering how much we can trush this Victor Conte person. I don't know why, but I can't. I don't have any proof that he's a serial liar or anything like that, it's just a gut reaction.
posted by NoMich at 02:39 PM on December 08, 2004
Look, the evidence is overwhelming. She's a druggie, and should be stripped of her Olympic medals.
posted by salmacis at 02:49 PM on December 08, 2004
No, salmacis, it's not. You need a positive test or a conviction in court before you can make that kind of statement. Until one of those comes to pass, she keeps her medals, cloud of suspicion or no.
posted by chicobangs at 03:00 PM on December 08, 2004
chico, would a paper trail of purchasing aforementioned substances constitute damning evidence? I know that procedurally it doesn't necessarily. But in the court of public opinion?
posted by garfield at 03:03 PM on December 08, 2004
Garfield, the court of public opinion has no jurisdiction in the halls of the IOC. They've made that very clear,over and over again, through the years. Do I think she's been doping? Sure looks like it. Will I pick up a torch and join the growing mob that's driving her from the Olympic Village? Not a chance. I don't do lynch mobs.
posted by chicobangs at 03:11 PM on December 08, 2004
ok. just checking your bearings.
posted by garfield at 03:26 PM on December 08, 2004
Proof probably has to consist of something showing she used during one of the competitions she won a medal in, in order for them to make her forfeit the medals or whatever. I'm guessing she wasn't using the stuff during the time her ex got pinched for it (or she was using "the clear" back then, the undetectable stuff and didn't share with him)...but he would certainly be an interesting witness who has in the past implicated her in all of the shooting up...
posted by chris2sy at 03:40 PM on December 08, 2004
Proof probably has to consist of something showing she used during one of the competitions she won a medal in, in order for them to make her forfeit the medals or whatever. Not quite, I don't think. Unless I'm mistaken, USOC also has tested people between competitions, not just at competitions -- the bobsledder who got yanked before the SLC Olympics was tested out of competition, IIRC. The standard of proof for Olympic athletes is indeed "innocent until proven guilty", AFAIK -- but realize that "guilty" means "having the stuff in your bloodstream", regardless of how it got there. The aforementioned bobsledder claimed to have inadvertantly ingested the banned substance as part of an OTC supplement that did not list the banned substance on its ingredient label. His story checked out -- the banned substance was indeed present in the product, and was not listed on the label. But he got banned anyway.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 07:11 AM on December 09, 2004
Marion Jones has denied she used drugs even though Mr. Conte said he saw Jones inject a human growth hormone. The question is: , if she 's found guilty should the Olympic committee deprive her of the gold medals? , Or should she be disciplined and be allowed to keep her medals?