Probe Into Laboratory Is a Concern to USOC

In a bid to “ensure that sunlight is cast on this process,” U.S. Olympic and anti-doping officials met Wednesday with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the U.S. Senate committee in possession of materials generated by a criminal probe of a northern California laboratory linked to high-profile athletes.

The U.S. Olympic Committee urged McCain to share any relevant materials with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, saying the matter may have a “direct impact” on athletes -- most likely in track and field -- who will be named in July to the U.S. team that will compete at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens.

The meeting, at the Capitol, lasted about 90 minutes. But it remains unclear what the next step -- if any -- might be, or what time frame might be at issue.

The Senate Commerce Committee received the materials after subpoenaing records linked to an indictment filed in federal court in San Francisco that names Victor Conte, the founder of the Burlingame, Calif.-based Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, and three others, among them baseball slugger Barry Bonds’ personal trainer.

All four have pleaded not guilty to a range of charges sparked by allegations the lab distributed steroids and other banned substances to athletes.

Bonds and a number of other prominent athletes, including track and field stars Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, testified before a grand jury investigating the matter. Like Bonds, Jones and Montgomery deny using any banned performance-enhancing substance.

USADA’s rules allow for the agency to initiate proceedings against an athlete if it has reason to believe, such as reliable evidence from a court case, that an athlete has used steroids or another substance.

Time, however, is clearly of the essence; the Athens Olympics start Aug. 13.

In a letter dated last Friday and signed by acting USOC President Bill Martin, among those who met Wednesday with McCain, the USOC said it doesn’t want to run the risk of naming an athlete to the team only to find out after the Games -- through material connected to the BALCO court case -- that he or she had used a banned substance.