Chasing Cheaters

Olympic officials, already waging a battle against athletes' use of performance- enhancing drugs, now worry about a new trend: gene doping

Timing is key, says nutrition and training expert Victor Conte: He says athletes generally use performance-enhancers months before competition. "These are training drugs," says Conte, who in 2005 pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute steroids as part of the BALCO scandal. "You use them in the offseason, to train better. In-competition, tests are worthless. These athletes aren't dumb."

The tests themselves may also make errors. A recent study by scientists at the Copenhagen Muscle Research Center found that the test for synthetic erythropoietin has a high false negative rate; in other words, it lets lots of cheaters through. Known as EPO, erythropoietin is a go-to enhancer for endurance athletes such as long-distance runners and swimmers. It increases red blood cells, making more oxygen available to muscles.

Another loophole: Although WADA and its allies test for many steroids such as nandrolone and stanozolol, experts say it is not difficult for a reasonably competent chemist to develop slightly altered "designer" versions. Such compounds have the same effects as the recognized drugs - increased strength and muscle growth - but are invisible to the tests.

"It's really not that complicated to develop a new steroid," says William Llewellyn, a chemist who is the author of Anabolics, a steroids encyclopedia used by doctors and athletes. He talks regularly with athletes, trainers and coaches, and says it is still possible for athletes in Beijing to evade tests by using designer steroids.

Authorities "absolutely have not closed it down," he says.

Another potential trick: Athletes may be able to avoid positive tests by taking a cocktail made up of low doses of several drugs, including steroids, growth hormone and EPO, as well as other substances and hormones.

Then there are the drugs that are not yet banned. According to several people familiar with doping trends, many athletes are using Viagra, as both a training aid and a performance-booster during competition. The drug works via the same mechanism by which it improves erections: It brings more blood to muscles, says John Romano, senior editor of Muscle Development, a Web site devoted to training and performance enhancement.

Howman says WADA knows about Viagra, and is studying it. The agency may ban it in the future, he says.