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First, read my previous post:
http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=389193
THG=tetrahydrogestrinone. A trenbolone derivitave. We all know trenbolone is a progesterone receptor antagonist....
More info on THG:
THG: The hidden steroid
Sara Brunetti, CBC News Online | November 6, 2003 | Updated November 26, 2003
It plays out like a mystery novel, the story of a used syringe that has turned into one of the biggest drug scandals in sports history.
Earlier this summer, a person claiming to be a high-ranking track and field coach tipped off the United States Anti-Doping Agency about a new "undetectable" steroid. The "coach" backed the accusations up by sending a used syringe with traces of the substance.
Enter Professor Don Catlin. His International Olympic Committee accredited anti-doping lab at the University of California at Los Angeles studied the substance throughout the summer. His conclusion: this was a "designer drug," a modified steroid that had escaped detection in normal laboratory testing. Samples collected at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Stanford in June were analysed, with shocking results. Up to six athletes tested positive for the drug, now dubbed THG, or tetrahydrogestrinone.
On Oct. 16, 2003, the United States Anti-Doping Agency first told the world about THG.
"What we have uncovered appears to be intentional doping of the worst sort," said USADA chief executive officer Terry Madden. "This is a far cry from athletes accidentally testing positive as a result of taking contaminated nutritional supplements. Rather, this is a conspiracy involving chemists, coaches and certain athletes using what they developed to be "undetectable" designer steroids to defraud their fellow competitors and the American and world public who pay to attend sports events."
In the month after that announcement the scandal spread around the world. Officials in track and field, swimming and rugby say they will test stored samples for THG. Professional baseball and football came under fire when it was revealed over five per cent of Major League Baseball players tested positive for drug use and four NFL players had reportedly tested positive for THG.
The International Olympic Committee is still consulting its lawyers about “retrospective testing.” There are still about 300 samples from the Salt Lake City Olympics stored at the UCLA lab.
The scandal is also leading to international name calling. The president of the International Amateur Athletic Federation, Lamine Diak, told the BBC, “We are where we are today because the United States proved to be lax.”
California company may be source of THG
BALCO founder Victor Conte holds a photo of San Francisco Giants' Barry Bonds with the supplement ZMA that Conte makes on Bond's hat, Oct. 21, 2003. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
The coach who tipped off the USADA about the drugs points the finger at Victor Conte, who runs the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) based in Burlingame, Calif., just south of San Francisco. The nutritional supplement laboratory store has attracted even more attention because many of its clients are high-profile professional athletes such as San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds.
(The World Anti-Doping Agency FAQ on THQ still officially lists the origin as "unknown.")
Conte denies he’s the source of THG, and questions whether or not it even has the same effect as steroids. “To make these kinds of statements without a single scientific study to support them is outrageous," he said in e-mails to the San Francisco Chronicle. "There needs to be scientific research conducted and published in credible scientific journals before such conclusions can be made."
The Internal Revenue Service and a San Mateo County narcotics task force raided BALCO’s offices in early September.
Conte, a former bass player (who used the name Walkin’ Fish) with the funk group Tower of Power, says he became interested in supplements as a high school track athlete. He founded the company in 1984.
The local newspaper, The San Mateo County Times, reports BALCO has had financial troubles in the past, including federal, state and local liens for unpaid taxes, as well as lawsuits for unpaid loan and lease agreements.
One of the company's most popular products is ZMA, described as a supplement that combines zinc, magnesium and Vitamin B6 to "naturally" increase the level of anabolic hormones in the body. ZMA is also sold by other companies.
Grand Jury investigation
Now, a U.S. federal grand jury is hearing witnesses in San Francisco, investigating whether Conte failed to report income or laundered payments from athletes who may have received prohibited performance-enhancing substances.
The grand jury has already heard from shot-putter Kevin Toth and runner Regina Jacobs, who’ve reportedly tested positive for THG. The athletes aren’t the targets of the investigation, although there’s a long list of athletes who have been subpoenaed to testify.
They include:
* NFL: Oakland Raiders Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield, linebacker Bill Romanowski, centre Barrett Robbins, running back Tyrone Wheatley, fullback Chris Heatherington, defensive end Chris Cooper, former Raider Josh Taves, Chiefs wide receiver Johnnie Morton, Falcons linebacker Artie Ulmer and Patriots Pro Bowl special teams player Larry Izzo.
* BASEBALL: Barry Bonds (SF Giants), Jason Giambi
* BOXING: Sugar Shane Mosley
* TRACK & FIELD: Marion Jones, Regina Jacobs, Tim Montgomery
Which athletes have tested positive for THG?
Britain's Dwain Chambers reacts after winning the men's 100 metre final race at the European Athletics Championships in Germany, in this Aug. 7, 2002 file photo. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Dwain Chambers, one of Britain's best hopes for a gold medal at the Olympics next year, admitted testing positive but denied taking the substance "wilfully." Traces of the drug were found in a urine samples the European 100-metres champion and record holder provided during an out-of-competition test in August.
On Nov. 5, Chambers’ backup urine sample (his “B” sample) confirmed a positive test for THG. His lawyer said this was just the beginning of a lengthy process, saying his client "adamantly maintains that he does not, nor has he ever, consumed performance enhancing stimulants."
On Nov. 12, the IAAF confirmed that four American athletes' B samples taken in June at the U.S. National championships in Stanford, California were positive for THG. The four are entitled to a hearing before the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and face a possible two-year ban.
As well, sources close to the investigation leaked the following names to the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Post:
* Hammer thrower John McEwen, two-time U.S. indoor champion in the 35-pound weight throw.
* Middle distance star Regina Jacobs, who has won 15 national titles and five world medals. Jacobs, at the age of 40, become the first woman to run the indoor metric mile in less than four minutes.
* Kevin Toth, the reigning U.S. shot-put champion.
On Nov. 22, the IAAF announced that two athletes tested positive for THG out of 402 samples from last summer's track and field world championships in Paris. It's not known if the two athletes are among the five athletes already known to have tested positive for THG.
Professional sports in the spotlight
THG first appeared in the world of professional sports on Nov. 16, when CBS Sportline reported that four Oakland Raiders players had tested positive for designer drug.
The players are said to be linebacker Bill Romanowski, center Barret Robbins and defensive tackles Dana Stubblefield and Chris Cooper. Each player could receive four-game suspensions, marking the first time that a number of players from the same team could be suspended for drug use.
But it is unlikely any suspensions will be handed out this year. The NFL began retesting some samples after the existence of THG was revealed, without the previous permission of the NFL Players Association.
The NFLPA is expected to challenge the retrotesting, saying THG wasn't on the NFL's banned substances list.
"What we have to decide is how we're going to go backwards," union executive director Gene Upshaw told the New York Times . "They [the NFL] have taken the position that they have the right to go backwards. Our position is that they do not."
Retrotesting for THG
It's "going backwards" that is a murky issue. THG is a designer drug, made to escape detection in drug testing. And because it was unknown, it was not specifically listed on many league's banned substances list. So does that mean those who were taking THG should be punished… or have they beaten the system?
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)says those who cheated should be punished.
On Oct. 24, the WADA recommended all international sports federations and all national anti-doping federations analyse any stored samples for THG.
"A proactive approach in this matter is crucial," WADA's director general David Howman said at the time. "It not only sends a message to athletes that cheating will not be tolerated, but also reassures the general public that definite steps are being taken to stamp out the scourge of doping in sport."
Who's retesting?
* The IAAF has begun retesting 400 samples for THG from the world championships in Paris in August.
* USA Track and Field, the sport’s national governing body, immediately agreed and proposed tougher drug rules that could include a lifetime ban for a first steroid offence.
* · The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) retested 400 samples for THG from the world championships in Paris in August. Two came back positive for THG.
* In Canada, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport announced it would test all 200 stored urine samples, and those collected in the future, for THG. Tests will begin in mid-November, and reanalysis of these samples will likely be complete by the end of the year. So far, no Canadian athletes have been implicated in the scandal.
* FINA, swimming’s international governing body, said Wednesday tests will be carried out on all 312 urine samples collected during the event in July in Barcelona, Spain. The decision affects swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water polo.
* Australian Sports Drug Agency (ASDA) will retest some samples held by the agency since Sept. 1.
* Greece's Amateur Athletics Association ordered the retesting of athletes' samples to test for THG.
* The International Rugby Board (IRB) will retest 50 urine samples taken at the World Cup for THG, representing 30 per cent of all drug tests at the tournament.
Such extensive retrotesting is a first for the sporting world. The International Olympic Committee is even considering retesting 19-month-old stored samples from the Salt Lake City Olympics. Between 200 and 300 samples exist of Olympics medal winners and runners-up. The IOC is considering the scientific and legal implications before making its decision, expected in early December.
Other organizations, such as FIFA, MLB and NBA, opted against THG re-examinations. MLB has, however, added THG to its list of banned substances.
Who's testing now?
There's a long list of sports that will start testing for THG this season.
Horse racing will test thoroughbreds' urine for THG.
International Ski Federation will test for THG this season, which opened with men's and women's giant slaloms Oct. 25 in Soelden, Austria.
NCAA will randomly tests athletes throughout the year.
Major League Baseball has only implemented "survey" testing, which screened players anonymously this year and without the threat of punishment.
"I'm sure at some point we probably will test for it," NBA league spokesman Brian McIntyre said. THG isn't on the NBA's list of banned substances now, and any changes to the banned substance list must be approved by the players union.
"Probably not widespread"
IOC President Jacques Rogge has said the use of THG probably isn't widespread.
"I have this gut feeling but it's only a gut feeling, that it's a very localized issue," Rogge told the Canadian Press on Nov. 11.
"There's only one lab that will ever produce a designer drug… I don't expect it to be wide-spread on a world-wide basis. I may be proven wrong."
http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=389193
THG=tetrahydrogestrinone. A trenbolone derivitave. We all know trenbolone is a progesterone receptor antagonist....
More info on THG:
THG: The hidden steroid
Sara Brunetti, CBC News Online | November 6, 2003 | Updated November 26, 2003
It plays out like a mystery novel, the story of a used syringe that has turned into one of the biggest drug scandals in sports history.
Earlier this summer, a person claiming to be a high-ranking track and field coach tipped off the United States Anti-Doping Agency about a new "undetectable" steroid. The "coach" backed the accusations up by sending a used syringe with traces of the substance.
Enter Professor Don Catlin. His International Olympic Committee accredited anti-doping lab at the University of California at Los Angeles studied the substance throughout the summer. His conclusion: this was a "designer drug," a modified steroid that had escaped detection in normal laboratory testing. Samples collected at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Stanford in June were analysed, with shocking results. Up to six athletes tested positive for the drug, now dubbed THG, or tetrahydrogestrinone.
On Oct. 16, 2003, the United States Anti-Doping Agency first told the world about THG.
"What we have uncovered appears to be intentional doping of the worst sort," said USADA chief executive officer Terry Madden. "This is a far cry from athletes accidentally testing positive as a result of taking contaminated nutritional supplements. Rather, this is a conspiracy involving chemists, coaches and certain athletes using what they developed to be "undetectable" designer steroids to defraud their fellow competitors and the American and world public who pay to attend sports events."
In the month after that announcement the scandal spread around the world. Officials in track and field, swimming and rugby say they will test stored samples for THG. Professional baseball and football came under fire when it was revealed over five per cent of Major League Baseball players tested positive for drug use and four NFL players had reportedly tested positive for THG.
The International Olympic Committee is still consulting its lawyers about “retrospective testing.” There are still about 300 samples from the Salt Lake City Olympics stored at the UCLA lab.
The scandal is also leading to international name calling. The president of the International Amateur Athletic Federation, Lamine Diak, told the BBC, “We are where we are today because the United States proved to be lax.”
California company may be source of THG
BALCO founder Victor Conte holds a photo of San Francisco Giants' Barry Bonds with the supplement ZMA that Conte makes on Bond's hat, Oct. 21, 2003. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
The coach who tipped off the USADA about the drugs points the finger at Victor Conte, who runs the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) based in Burlingame, Calif., just south of San Francisco. The nutritional supplement laboratory store has attracted even more attention because many of its clients are high-profile professional athletes such as San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds.
(The World Anti-Doping Agency FAQ on THQ still officially lists the origin as "unknown.")
Conte denies he’s the source of THG, and questions whether or not it even has the same effect as steroids. “To make these kinds of statements without a single scientific study to support them is outrageous," he said in e-mails to the San Francisco Chronicle. "There needs to be scientific research conducted and published in credible scientific journals before such conclusions can be made."
The Internal Revenue Service and a San Mateo County narcotics task force raided BALCO’s offices in early September.
Conte, a former bass player (who used the name Walkin’ Fish) with the funk group Tower of Power, says he became interested in supplements as a high school track athlete. He founded the company in 1984.
The local newspaper, The San Mateo County Times, reports BALCO has had financial troubles in the past, including federal, state and local liens for unpaid taxes, as well as lawsuits for unpaid loan and lease agreements.
One of the company's most popular products is ZMA, described as a supplement that combines zinc, magnesium and Vitamin B6 to "naturally" increase the level of anabolic hormones in the body. ZMA is also sold by other companies.
Grand Jury investigation
Now, a U.S. federal grand jury is hearing witnesses in San Francisco, investigating whether Conte failed to report income or laundered payments from athletes who may have received prohibited performance-enhancing substances.
The grand jury has already heard from shot-putter Kevin Toth and runner Regina Jacobs, who’ve reportedly tested positive for THG. The athletes aren’t the targets of the investigation, although there’s a long list of athletes who have been subpoenaed to testify.
They include:
* NFL: Oakland Raiders Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield, linebacker Bill Romanowski, centre Barrett Robbins, running back Tyrone Wheatley, fullback Chris Heatherington, defensive end Chris Cooper, former Raider Josh Taves, Chiefs wide receiver Johnnie Morton, Falcons linebacker Artie Ulmer and Patriots Pro Bowl special teams player Larry Izzo.
* BASEBALL: Barry Bonds (SF Giants), Jason Giambi
* BOXING: Sugar Shane Mosley
* TRACK & FIELD: Marion Jones, Regina Jacobs, Tim Montgomery
Which athletes have tested positive for THG?
Britain's Dwain Chambers reacts after winning the men's 100 metre final race at the European Athletics Championships in Germany, in this Aug. 7, 2002 file photo. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Dwain Chambers, one of Britain's best hopes for a gold medal at the Olympics next year, admitted testing positive but denied taking the substance "wilfully." Traces of the drug were found in a urine samples the European 100-metres champion and record holder provided during an out-of-competition test in August.
On Nov. 5, Chambers’ backup urine sample (his “B” sample) confirmed a positive test for THG. His lawyer said this was just the beginning of a lengthy process, saying his client "adamantly maintains that he does not, nor has he ever, consumed performance enhancing stimulants."
On Nov. 12, the IAAF confirmed that four American athletes' B samples taken in June at the U.S. National championships in Stanford, California were positive for THG. The four are entitled to a hearing before the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and face a possible two-year ban.
As well, sources close to the investigation leaked the following names to the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Post:
* Hammer thrower John McEwen, two-time U.S. indoor champion in the 35-pound weight throw.
* Middle distance star Regina Jacobs, who has won 15 national titles and five world medals. Jacobs, at the age of 40, become the first woman to run the indoor metric mile in less than four minutes.
* Kevin Toth, the reigning U.S. shot-put champion.
On Nov. 22, the IAAF announced that two athletes tested positive for THG out of 402 samples from last summer's track and field world championships in Paris. It's not known if the two athletes are among the five athletes already known to have tested positive for THG.
Professional sports in the spotlight
THG first appeared in the world of professional sports on Nov. 16, when CBS Sportline reported that four Oakland Raiders players had tested positive for designer drug.
The players are said to be linebacker Bill Romanowski, center Barret Robbins and defensive tackles Dana Stubblefield and Chris Cooper. Each player could receive four-game suspensions, marking the first time that a number of players from the same team could be suspended for drug use.
But it is unlikely any suspensions will be handed out this year. The NFL began retesting some samples after the existence of THG was revealed, without the previous permission of the NFL Players Association.
The NFLPA is expected to challenge the retrotesting, saying THG wasn't on the NFL's banned substances list.
"What we have to decide is how we're going to go backwards," union executive director Gene Upshaw told the New York Times . "They [the NFL] have taken the position that they have the right to go backwards. Our position is that they do not."
Retrotesting for THG
It's "going backwards" that is a murky issue. THG is a designer drug, made to escape detection in drug testing. And because it was unknown, it was not specifically listed on many league's banned substances list. So does that mean those who were taking THG should be punished… or have they beaten the system?
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)says those who cheated should be punished.
On Oct. 24, the WADA recommended all international sports federations and all national anti-doping federations analyse any stored samples for THG.
"A proactive approach in this matter is crucial," WADA's director general David Howman said at the time. "It not only sends a message to athletes that cheating will not be tolerated, but also reassures the general public that definite steps are being taken to stamp out the scourge of doping in sport."
Who's retesting?
* The IAAF has begun retesting 400 samples for THG from the world championships in Paris in August.
* USA Track and Field, the sport’s national governing body, immediately agreed and proposed tougher drug rules that could include a lifetime ban for a first steroid offence.
* · The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) retested 400 samples for THG from the world championships in Paris in August. Two came back positive for THG.
* In Canada, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport announced it would test all 200 stored urine samples, and those collected in the future, for THG. Tests will begin in mid-November, and reanalysis of these samples will likely be complete by the end of the year. So far, no Canadian athletes have been implicated in the scandal.
* FINA, swimming’s international governing body, said Wednesday tests will be carried out on all 312 urine samples collected during the event in July in Barcelona, Spain. The decision affects swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water polo.
* Australian Sports Drug Agency (ASDA) will retest some samples held by the agency since Sept. 1.
* Greece's Amateur Athletics Association ordered the retesting of athletes' samples to test for THG.
* The International Rugby Board (IRB) will retest 50 urine samples taken at the World Cup for THG, representing 30 per cent of all drug tests at the tournament.
Such extensive retrotesting is a first for the sporting world. The International Olympic Committee is even considering retesting 19-month-old stored samples from the Salt Lake City Olympics. Between 200 and 300 samples exist of Olympics medal winners and runners-up. The IOC is considering the scientific and legal implications before making its decision, expected in early December.
Other organizations, such as FIFA, MLB and NBA, opted against THG re-examinations. MLB has, however, added THG to its list of banned substances.
Who's testing now?
There's a long list of sports that will start testing for THG this season.
Horse racing will test thoroughbreds' urine for THG.
International Ski Federation will test for THG this season, which opened with men's and women's giant slaloms Oct. 25 in Soelden, Austria.
NCAA will randomly tests athletes throughout the year.
Major League Baseball has only implemented "survey" testing, which screened players anonymously this year and without the threat of punishment.
"I'm sure at some point we probably will test for it," NBA league spokesman Brian McIntyre said. THG isn't on the NBA's list of banned substances now, and any changes to the banned substance list must be approved by the players union.
"Probably not widespread"
IOC President Jacques Rogge has said the use of THG probably isn't widespread.
"I have this gut feeling but it's only a gut feeling, that it's a very localized issue," Rogge told the Canadian Press on Nov. 11.
"There's only one lab that will ever produce a designer drug… I don't expect it to be wide-spread on a world-wide basis. I may be proven wrong."
