WADA tells US to face up its drug problems

Athens, Greece:

World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) chief Dick Pound waded into drugs saga involving Marion Jones on Monday. The American sprinter won three gold medals at the Sydney Olympics, but her reputation has been tarnished by allegations of doping abuse. The latest charge laid before her comes from Victor Conte, the founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO), who has been charged along with three other men of distributing illegal steroids and money laundering. Conte claimed that he had supplied Jones with banned substances before the Olympics in 2000. Jones vehemently denies any wrongdoing, but Pound believes that these allegations are best off out in the open. Unsurprisingly, Pound wants the strictest sanctions applied to Jones if these allegations are proved to be true. The WADA chief believes that she should be stripped of her five Olympic medals if Conte is found to be telling the truth. Jones, who did not win any medals at the Athens Olympics, has been under investigation for months by the US Anti-Doping Agency, but has not been charged. Pound believes the whole episode should act as a 'wake-up' call for the US Athletics Track and Field organisation, making them realise that tough action is needed to ensure their reputation remains. (AP)