Fresh doubts about nandrolone

Merlene Ottey: Tested positive for nandrolone

Athletes banned for positive nandrolone tests have been given a lifeline following the publication of new research.

It shows that contaminated nutritional supplements can produce levels of the banned steroid that are up to 300 times above the permitted limit.

Athletes such as Linford Christie and Merlene Ottey were handed bans after testing positive for the steroid, but protested their innocence.

Some supplements had caused male volunteers to produce nandrolone levels way above the legal limit of two nanograms per milliliter, according to new tests.

These were carried out by a laboratory in Cologne, Germany which is accredited by the International Olympic Committee.

Rash of cases

The highest recorded level was 600 nanograms per milliliter.

The Cologne lab has analysed more than 100 nutritional supplements from the USA and Europe and plans to look at 600 more.

So far, the lab's head, Professor Wilhelm Schaencer, said he has detected 16 cases of contamination.

"There is clearly a problem with some of these products," he said.

There has been a rash of positive nandrolone cases in recent years.

The International Olympic Committee has allocated US$75,000 (£52,000) to fund the research project in Cologne, with the aim of determining whether certain supplements contain steroids.