HONOLULU -- Four U.S. Olympic track and field athletes want the public to know that most Olympic athletes are not taking drugs and that Americans need to get involved in dealing with the problem of drugs in sports.
"The entire United States, the entire world must take a stand," said Bryan Clay, the silver medalist in the decathlon at the Athens Games.
"We need to start from the top," Clay said. "The government must make this a priority. This should be part of President Bush's war on drugs."
Clay, long jump gold medalist Dwight Phillips, shot put silver medalist Adam Nelson and high jump fourth-place finisher Jamie Nieto spoke at a news conference arranged by the organizers of the Honolulu Marathon.
The four athletes were responding to comments made by Victor Conte during an appearance on ABC's 20-20 last Friday.
Conte, the founder of the California-based Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, who is under federal indictment for distributing steroids and other illegal performance-enhancing drugs to athletes, said that use of illegal drugs is so rampant among athletes that "In short, the Olympic Games are a fraud."
"He is a fraud," Phillips said. "We want to send a message to kids and our fans that there are athletes who have morals and are doing the right thing."
Nelson was angry that ABC gave the BALCO chief exposure.
"The 20-20 show was a complete disgrace," he said. "A well-respected show is putting forth the opinions of a guy who is a drug dealer and under investigation for tax evasion.
"The Olympics are not a fraud. The athletes work hours, years for that one moment. To say they are cheating goes against what they do."
Nelson said he is frustrated to be lumped with athletes who are involved in illegal drugs.
"The first question people ask me when they find out I'm an Olympic athlete is 'Do you take steroids?' and that is really frustrating," he said.
The Olympians also took issue with Conte's characterization of athletes as victims because they don't have a choice but to use drugs to "level the playing field."
