Victor Conte, the founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (Balco) and a central figure in one of the most significant doping scandals in sports history, has died at 75. His sports nutrition company, Snac, announced his death on Monday.
Conte’s laboratory, Balco, gained international notoriety in the early 2000s. It was accused of supplying anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs to dozens of elite athletes. The scandal implicated Olympic champions and major league baseball stars.
In 2005, Conte received a four-month prison sentence for his role in the extensive doping network. The investigation into Balco led to five convictions and numerous sanctions against athletes.
The scandal impacted prominent figures such as sprinter Marion Jones, Dwain Chambers, and several Major League Baseball players. Jones, a star of the Sydney 2000 Olympics, admitted to using banned substances and lying to federal authorities. She was sentenced to six months in prison in 2008 and forfeited her three gold medals from the games.
The Balco case involved approximately 30 athletes. Some investigations into their involvement continued for years, notably including baseball’s Barry Bonds, the U.S. home-run record holder.
After his conviction, Conte continued to speak publicly about the widespread use of prohibited substances in sport. He claimed in an interview with Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport that “before the Balco scandal, 80% of athletes resorted to steroids.” He later updated this figure to 65%.
Conte stated he possessed “names, addresses, and protocols” from the doping era. However, he regretted that few trusted him after his conviction.
His public statements often generated controversy, particularly when he cast suspicion on other renowned athletes. He made comments concerning Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt and former cyclist Lance Armstrong.
Conte expressed doubts about Bolt’s success. He stated, “I was told they were applying, in Jamaica, the same protocol that Balco provided, in 2001, to other Caribbean athletes. I have no proof, but I maintain many doubts about Bolt’s success.”
Conte spent his final years focusing on Snac Nutrition, his sports supplement company. Despite this, his name remained inextricably linked to the Balco case, a landmark moment in the global fight against doping in modern athletics.