Antidoping experts believe unscrupulous chemists in the United States may be creating the drug or, more likely, it is being imported. Dr. Don Catlin, an antidoping pioneer in the United States who ran the drug testing lab at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, said Turinabol was easily obtainable online. He added that it was contained as a labeled ingredient in at least one supplement that can be bought off-the-shelf. It is also possible that the steroid is contained as an unlabeled product in a supplement, he said.
“I suspect somebody got a big supply of it somewhere and has been distributing it among friends and neighbors,” Catlin said. “One guy gets it and feels it’s working and tells all his buddies. Next thing you know, you’ve got a miniepidemic.”
That Turinabol has shown up in supplements sold in America means some athletes may have unwittingly taken the drug. To be safe, Canadian authorities have warned their Olympic athletes to stay away from supplements sold in the United States, said Dr. Bob McCormack, the chief medical officer of the Canadian Olympic team.
