Hormones found in Yuan's bag an illegal substance

Hormones found in Yuan's bag an illegal substance

PERTH, Australia (AFP): The human growth hormones uncovered in the baggage of Chinese swimmer Yuan Yuan this week were enough to use for the entire Chinese team at the world championship here, U.S. coach Jon Urbanchek said yesterday.

Australian Customs confirmed Friday that the substance found in Yuan's baggage at Sydney Airport on Thursday was a prohibited human growth hormone.

Her coach Zhou Zhewen admitted to a customs official that he had packed the 13 vials of somatropin into Yuan's baggage to pass on to someone in Australia.

Yuan and Zhou have been expelled from the championship by the Chinese delegation and face minimum four-year bans from the sport for trafficking in the hormones.

Their fate was expected to be known possibly later yesterday when FINA's doping panel reach their conclusions from an inquiry.

Urbanchek, the head men's coach of the U.S. team, said he had been informed by the American head of the world swimming federation's medical commission that the 13 vials found in Yuan's possession could be enough to administer to the whole 23-member Chinese contingent at the championship.

"Dr Allen Richardson told me the amount seized was good enough for the entire Chinese team for the duration of this competition," Urbanchek said.

"I'm not sure what the purpose of it was, but it definitely wasn't the reason they gave," Urbanchek told reporters after a press conference.

"The party line was that a coach made a mistake and brought it out for a friend in Canberra, but I think it's a party line and my name is Mao Zedong."

"I think the turtle soup they were going to cook here is going to taste a little bit different, the main ingredient is missing."

Urbanchek said he did not believe the entire Chinese team should be sent packing from Perth.

"I don't think FINA has the authority to throw anybody out, I think it should be up to every country to police themselves."

"The dope control is going to be 100 percent only if every country will buy into it, as Australia, some European countries and the USA are doing," he said.

Task force

The world swimming federation FINA yesterday announced the formation of a task force of science, research and forensic experts to find ways of combating the sport's drug problems.

FINA secretary Gunnar Werner said the task force members, who have to be appointed, will report back to the world swim body within six months.

Werner said the task force will examine and provide recommendations on improving the coordination of research; the development and improvement of coordination and consistency of national and international policies; the transport and trafficking of substances and identifying problems such as the inability of detecting certain substances and potential problems with future performance enhancing drugs.

FINA's decision to form a task force follows the discovery of growth hormone drugs in the baggage of Chinese swimmer Yuan Yuan on her way to the world championships here.

Yuan Yuan and her coach Zhou Zhewen face possible four-year suspensions in a FINA doping panel currently deliberating on the case.