Olympic Contenders Notified of Potential Drug Violations

Related Stories Designer Steroids: Ugly and Dangerous   Music Industry Addresses Drug Culture   Philip Morris Wants Marlboro Scene Cut from Film   Study: Alcohol in Movies Encourages Adolescent Drinking

Five track and field athletes, among them 100-meter world record holder Tim Montgomery, were sent letters from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) informing them of potential drug violations, the Washington Post reported June 9.

Besides Montgomery, letters were also sent to Ukrainian sprinter Zhanna Pintusevich-Block, U.S. sprinter Chryste Gaines, and U.S. 400-meter runners Michelle Collins and Alvin Harrison.

Although five-time Olympic medal winner Marion Jones did not receive a letter, she remains under investigation by the USADA.

The Olympic trials are July 9-18, but the USADA said the cases would remain open until all necessary evidence is gathered. "If it takes time for relevant information to be received and thoroughly reviewed, we will take that time," said Travis Tygart, USADA director of legal affairs.

None of the athletes who received letters had tested positive for a banned substance. Rather, the investigations stem from evidence obtained in the federal raid of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) last fall in Burlingame, Calif. BALCO owner Victor Conte was indicted in February on federal steroid-distribution charges.