Ben Johnson to Lance Armstrong: A chronology of doping scandal
Athletes accused of using banned substances threaten the integrity of sports ranging from track and field to baseball and cycling. Will the NFL be next? Here is a look at key moments in the evolution of sports doping.
Ben Johnson of Canada, right, leads the pack to win the 100-meter dash finals in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Johnson was later stripped of his medal when he tested positive for a banned steroid.
AP/File
• September 1988: Speed demon Ben Johnson is stripped of Olympic gold for testing positive for a banned steroid after winning the 100-meter race.
• November 1999: World Anti-Doping Agency is established to coordinate and monitor the fight against doping in sports.
• September 2003: Federal authorities raid BALCO, a California company suspected of supplying illegal performance-enhancing drugs to professional and Olympic athletes. The BALCO scandal would eventually reveal that doping in sports is endemic.
• December 2004: Giants slugger Barry Bonds is reported to have testified to a grand jury in late 2003, per the BALCO case, that he used steroids during the 2003 season, but unwittingly. Three years later, he would be charged with perjury and obstruction of justice.
