ROLL OF DISHONOUR

One of the first evidences of doping, at the St Louis Olympics. Thomas Hicks (US) won the marathon and collapsed. It took hours to revive him;

1904: One of the first evidences of doping, at the St Louis Olympics. Thomas Hicks (US) won the marathon and collapsed. It took hours to revive him; he had taken brandy mixed with strychnine to help him win his gold medal.

Tom Simpson: During the 1967 Tour de France, Tom Simpson collapsed during the ascent of the Mont Ventoux. Despite mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and oxygen, plus a helicopter airlift to a nearby hospital, Simpson died. Two tubes of amphetamines and a further empty tube were found in the rear pocket of his racing jersey.

Ben Johnson: Canadian sprinter coasted to gold medal in a world record time in the 100m at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. He subsequently failed the drug test when stanozolol was found in his urine. He later admitted to using the steroid as well as Dianabol, Cypionate, Furazabol, and human growth hormone among other things. Johnson was stripped of his gold medal.

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Diego Maradona: Argentine football legend Maradona tested positive for the banned substance, ephedrine, during the 1994 World Cup and was banned from playing football for a year.

Team Festina: In 1998 the entire ‘Festina’ team were excluded from the Tour de France following the discovery of a team car containing large amounts of various performance-enhancing drugs. The team director later admitted that some of the cyclists were routinely given banned substances.

Kelli White and US stars: 2003 saw US sprinter Kelli White stripped of her two gold medals from the World Track & Field Championships for testing positive for Modafinil, Olympic 4×400 m gold medallist Calvin Harrison, and Olympic and world champ 4x100m relay gold medallist Chryste Gaines all tested positive for Modafinil, while 25-time US middle distance national champion and two-time 1,500 m world champion silver medallist Regina Jacobs, 2003 US national shot put champion Kevin Toth, hammer thrower John McEwan all test positive for designer steroid THG.

BALCO: In July 2005, founders of California’s Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) pleaded guilty to steroid distribution and money laundering. Those implicated or accused in the ensuing scandal include sprinters Dwain Chambers, Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery, and shot-putter CJ Hunter, baseball players Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield, and several members of the Oakland Raiders.

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Justin Gatlin: American Olympic and world 100 m champion Justin Gatlin failed a drug test in April 2006 when steroids were found in his system. Special testing done both before and after this positive result came back negative, suggesting the results came from application of a steroid cream rather than steroid ingestion.

Discovery Team: In September 2006, some former teammates of cyclist Lance Armstrong admitted to taking EPO during the 1999 Tour de France. They did not state that Armstrong had done the same. The team has been disbanded.

Floyd Landis: Immediately after the 2006 Tour de France it was revealed that winner Floyd Landis had tested positive for an elevated testosterone/epitestosterone ratio after his stage 17 victory. He has been striped of the title and banned for two years.

Tour de France: 1996 Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis of Denmark admitted to having used EPO from 1993 through 1998, including his winning Tour, and also admitted to having used cortisone and growth hormone, a full decade later in May, 2007. The Tour’s very existence is in jeopardy, after the series of doping allegations.

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Cricket: Aussie spin wizard Shane Warne was sent back at the start of 2003 World Cup after testing positive for a banned diuretic. Pakistani bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif tested positive for nandralone during the Champions Trophy in India in 2006.