Investigation Confirms Blood Doping by Cyclists

An investigation by four U.S. Olympic Committee doctors has confirmed that a third of the 24-member U.S. Olympic cycling team--including five medal winners--received blood doping transfusions before their events, in violation of USOC rules. Dr. Irving Dardik, chairman of the USOC’s Sports Medicine Council and head of the investigatory panel, said Thursday that he could verify a copyrighted story in the next issue of Rolling Stone magazine that reports gold medalist Steve Hegg, silver medalists Brent Emery and Rebecca Twigg, and bronze medalist Leonard (Harvey) Nitz were among those receiving the transfusions, as well as silver medalist Pat McDonough, identified in other published reports. Blood doping, also referred to as blood packing or blood boosting, involves removing blood from an athlete’s body, keeping it in frozen storage while the athlete’s body makes up for the shortage, then injecting it back into the athlete’s body just before competition. The extra blood, carrying extra oxygen, supposedly enhances the athlete’s performance and stamina, although physicians vary as to how effective it is. In some cases, the transfused blood comes from others.

Dardik said that his panel had concluded that “this is an unethical procedure that had already been banned by the USOC,” and that “the individuals involved must be held accountable,” but he and other USOC officials stopped short of saying that any sanctions would be directed at the athletes involved. Rather, they suggested that the doctors who had administered the transfusions and other officials involved in them might be penalized. Mike Moran, the USOC’s press director, said it is doubtful whether the blood doping constituted a violation of existing International Olympic Committee rules. Unless it did, he stated, there is no possibility that the athletes would be stripped of their medals. Moran said that all of the medal winners involved were competing in Europe and were unavailable for comment. The Associated Press, meanwhile, quoted Hegg’s manager, Rich Grimes of Beverly Hills, as saying: “We are not confirming or denying the published stories. We will be issuing a prepared statement after the U.S. Cycling Federation completes its investigation and responds. The issue and the responsibility of such allegations should be directed toward the U.S. Cycling Federation, its coaches, staff and medical staff.” Another, non-medal winning member of the U.S. cycling team, Danny Van Huarte, acknowledged on the “CBS Morning News” that he had undergone blood doping. Dardik said that his panel’s inquiry, which he said had begun in early November, found that the majority of the transfusions had come from family members and other persons, and were not of blood that had been taken earlier from the athletes themselves. Dardik said that information was also obtained during his panel’s inquiry indicating that some of the athletes had also experimented with taking caffeine to enhance performances. Dardik added that California’s state Board of Medical Quality Assurance is reviewing the cases of physicians involved in administering the transfusions for possible malfeasance. In Sacramento, the executive director of the state board, Kenneth Wagstaff, said his agency is awaiting a USOC report before deciding whether to undertake a full-scale investigation. Wagstaff said Dr. Herman Falsetti of the University of Iowa is one physician whose case is being reviewed. Falsetti is also licensed to practice in California. Wagstaff noted that Falsetti had been accused of administering the transfusions. Falsetti’s office said Thursday that the doctor could not be reached. Wagstaff said that once written USOC reports arrive, “We will try to determine whether there was gross negligence or repeated negligence in these cases, or whether, on the other hand, the treatment administered was appropriate or safe, whether the patients gave their consent, and whether they constituted a normal standard of care.” As in past cases of allegations of the administration of drugs or questionable treatments to American Olympic athletes, the USOC seemed determined Thursday to demonstrate that it was on top of the situation and taking action on its own initiative and not at the instigation of published articles or adverse test results. Dardik and F. Don Miller, outgoing USOC director, stressed that the USOC had initiated its own investigation of the blood doping episode long before reports of the Rolling Stone article had surfaced. Besides Dardik, other members of the investigatory panel, said to have been named in November, are Dr. Dan Hanley of Brunswick, Me., a member of the USOC Sports Medicine Council; Dr. Don Catlin of Los Angeles, head of the International Olympic Committee’s drug testing program during the 1984 Games, and Dr. James Betts of Oakland, who assisted the USOC in administering its drug control program before the Games. In a statement, Miller said: “The USOC confirms the unfortunate incident known as ‘blood packing’ or ‘boosting’ involving some members of the cycling team which occurred prior to the events of the 1984 Olympic Games. As we stated previously, the USOC is diametrically opposed to the practice.”