Chambers coach to face illegal steroids charge

THE coach of British sprinter Dwain Chambers is among four men indicted by a federal grand jury in America on charges of distributing illegal steroids.

Chambers faces a possible two-year ban at a hearing next week after testing positive for Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) and the indictment of coach, Remi Korchemny will come as something of a setback to his case.

The six-month probe into doping in international sport culminated in the four men being indicted on 42 counts of distributing illegal steroids and human growth hormones.

The federal grand jury in San Francisco brought charges against leading athletics coach Korchemny, Greg Anderson, a personal trainer of baseball star Barry Bonds, and two employees of California-based BALCO Laboratories owner Victor Conte and vice-president Jim Valente.

The indictment said: "While operating BALCO, Conte and others conspired to distribute performance-enhancing drugs, including anabolic steroids, human growth hormone (HGH), erythropoietin (EPO), modafinil and various other prescription drugs, to dozens of professional athletes."

The four are expected to appear in court today and will also face charges of misbranding drugs with intent to defraud and money laundering.

Korchemny, a 71-year-old Ukrainian, is a leading figure in world sprinting and counts Britain's Chambers and Americans Kelli White and Chryste Gaines as three of his star pupils.

He was removed from the USA Team's coaching staff for the World Indoor Championships next month in Budapest after the IAAF confirmed he would not be accredited.

THG is a new 'designer' anabolic steroid which only became known to anti-doping agencies when an American coach handed in a syringe containing the substance.

The drug is said to have long-lasting effects on an athlete's ability to recover more quickly from training and competition as well as promoting muscle growth, but the detection period is very short, believed to be three to seven days.

None of the athletes were named specifically in the indictment although it did say that they included professional baseball, football and track and field athletes who received the illegal drugs until the summer of last year.