Drug culture

CJ Hunter failed four separate drug tests

Dr Nick Whitehead, a former manager of the British Olympic team, has hit out at the attitude to drug taking in the athletic world.

Whitehead, a leading anti-drugs campaigner, singled out the USA for some particular criticism.

He told BBC Wales' Nick Webb: "Countries are condoning rather than trying to stamp out drug taking."

He urged athletes to accept personal responsibility and expressed his doubts over claims that nandrolone could occur naturally.

He said the US did drugs tests and when athletes were caught out they were warned, told they'd be tested again in a month's time and given the date

  Dr Nick Whitehead

Whitehead, the former head of the Sports Council for Wales, talked about a particular conversation he had in the USA last year with an athlete from his era:

"He said the US did drugs tests and when athletes were caught out they were warned, told they'd be tested again in a month's time and given the date," Whitehead related.

"When I suggested that alerting them of the date was not in the spirit of trying to eradicate drug taking, he just laughed."