Christos Tzekos
Encyclopedia
Christos Tzekos is a Greek athletics
coach.
He was the trainer of the sprinters Konstantinos Kenteris
and Ekaterini Thanou. The three were at the center of a huge doping scandal at the start of the 2004 Summer Olympics
. The athletes were suspended by the IAAF
in December 2004 but have been free to compete since December, 2006. Tsekos is serving a 4-year suspension handed down by the Greek athletics federation in 2005.
Tsekos, a former nutritional supplements
salesman who lives alternatingly in his native Greece and his adopted home in Lincolnwood, Illinois
(a suburb of Chicago
), had been involved in a number of doping-related incidents before.
In 1997, at an athletics event in Dortmund
, Germany, a row occurred between Tsekos and an IAAF doping controller whom he prevented from testing four of his athletes, among them Thanou and Charis Papadias. However, the doping controller, Klaus Wengoborski, arrived with no identification and without a female official accompanying him, a violation of IAAF regulations at the time. The Greek federation nevertheless suspended Tzekos but no action was taken against the athletes. The IAAF agreed with the Greek federation's ruling.
The Greek national health authority fined Tsekos 14.800 euros for illegally importing anabolic substances. In 2004 a raid on his office uncovered 1400 ampoules containing anabolic and other prohibited substances. Some sources say that these were just supplements without the appropriate legal papers for import in Greece.
According to To Vima
, a respected Greek daily newspaper, Tsekos had proposed a secret program to the Greek government in 1997, which was projected at a cost of 6 million euros and was intended to provide 150 Greek athletes with non-detectable doping substances in preparation for the 2004 Olympic Games. The government declined the offer. Tzekos had also stated on Greek TV channel Antenna that he has great admiration for the GDR sports program.
In 2003, it was reported that U.S. authorities found e-mails by Victor Conte
addressed to Tzekos while searching BALCO
(Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative
), the California company secretly dealing Tetrahydrogestrinone
, an anabolic steroid specially designed so as to make it undetectable under normal drug testing. In addition, according to the respected French paper "L'Equipe," Tzekos was directly dealing with the creator of norbolethone
and THG (tetrahydrogestrinone
) Patrick Arnold
, the father of pro-hormone craze and some undetectable designer steroids.
However in September 2007, Greek prosecutors ruled there was no evidence supporting any connection between Tzekos and BALCO, after examining evidence sent from the district attorney of northern California. Tzekos has also continued to insist that he only knew Arnold as a supplier of nutritional supplements, and has denied receiving illegal substances from him.
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
coach.
He was the trainer of the sprinters Konstantinos Kenteris
Konstantinos Kenteris
Konstandinos Kenderis, also spelled as Konstadinos Kederis is a former Greek athlete...
and Ekaterini Thanou. The three were at the center of a huge doping scandal at the start of the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
. The athletes were suspended by the IAAF
International Association of Athletics Federations
The International Association of Athletics Federations is the international governing body for the sport of athletics. It was founded in 1912 at its first congress in Stockholm, Sweden by representatives from 17 national athletics federations as the International Amateur Athletics Federation...
in December 2004 but have been free to compete since December, 2006. Tsekos is serving a 4-year suspension handed down by the Greek athletics federation in 2005.
Tsekos, a former nutritional supplements
Dietary supplement
A dietary supplement, also known as food supplement or nutritional supplement, is a preparation intended to supplement the diet and provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids, or amino acids, that may be missing or may not be consumed in sufficient quantities in a person's diet...
salesman who lives alternatingly in his native Greece and his adopted home in Lincolnwood, Illinois
Lincolnwood, Illinois
Lincolnwood is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,359 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lincolnwood is located at ....
(a suburb of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
), had been involved in a number of doping-related incidents before.
In 1997, at an athletics event in Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
, Germany, a row occurred between Tsekos and an IAAF doping controller whom he prevented from testing four of his athletes, among them Thanou and Charis Papadias. However, the doping controller, Klaus Wengoborski, arrived with no identification and without a female official accompanying him, a violation of IAAF regulations at the time. The Greek federation nevertheless suspended Tzekos but no action was taken against the athletes. The IAAF agreed with the Greek federation's ruling.
The Greek national health authority fined Tsekos 14.800 euros for illegally importing anabolic substances. In 2004 a raid on his office uncovered 1400 ampoules containing anabolic and other prohibited substances. Some sources say that these were just supplements without the appropriate legal papers for import in Greece.
According to To Vima
To Vima
To Vima is a Greek daily newspaper first published in 1922 by Dimitris Lambrakis, the father of Christos Lambrakis. It is owned by Lambrakis Press Group, a group which also publishes the newspaper Ta Nea, amongst others in its fold of publications...
, a respected Greek daily newspaper, Tsekos had proposed a secret program to the Greek government in 1997, which was projected at a cost of 6 million euros and was intended to provide 150 Greek athletes with non-detectable doping substances in preparation for the 2004 Olympic Games. The government declined the offer. Tzekos had also stated on Greek TV channel Antenna that he has great admiration for the GDR sports program.
In 2003, it was reported that U.S. authorities found e-mails by Victor Conte
Victor Conte
Victor Conte is a former musician with Tower of Power and founder and president of BALCO, a sports nutrition center in California. He served time in prison in 2005 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute steroids and money laundering....
addressed to Tzekos while searching BALCO
Balco
Balco can refer to:* the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative - a controversial sports medicine/nutrition centre in Burlingame, California.* Balco balcony systems who develops, designs and manufactures balcony systems and glazing solutions....
(Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative
Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative
The Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative was an American company led by founder and owner Victor Conte, a former bass player for the soul band Tower of Power. In 2003, journalists Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada investigated the company's role in a drug sports scandal later referred to as the...
), the California company secretly dealing Tetrahydrogestrinone
Tetrahydrogestrinone
Tetrahydrogestrinone is an anabolic steroid developed by Patrick Arnold. It has affinity to the androgen receptor and the progesterone receptor, but not to the estrogen receptor...
, an anabolic steroid specially designed so as to make it undetectable under normal drug testing. In addition, according to the respected French paper "L'Equipe," Tzekos was directly dealing with the creator of norbolethone
Norbolethone
Norbolethone is an anabolic steroid. It was first developed in 1966 by Wyeth Laboratories, and tested for use as an agent to encourage weight gain and for the treatment of short stature, but was never marketed commercially because of fears that it might be toxic...
and THG (tetrahydrogestrinone
Tetrahydrogestrinone
Tetrahydrogestrinone is an anabolic steroid developed by Patrick Arnold. It has affinity to the androgen receptor and the progesterone receptor, but not to the estrogen receptor...
) Patrick Arnold
Patrick Arnold
Patrick Arnold is an American organic chemist responsible for creating the designer steroid tetrahydrogestrinone, also known as THG and "the clear". THG, along with two other anabolic steroids that Patrick Arnold manufactured , were drugs at the heart of the BALCO scandal...
, the father of pro-hormone craze and some undetectable designer steroids.
However in September 2007, Greek prosecutors ruled there was no evidence supporting any connection between Tzekos and BALCO, after examining evidence sent from the district attorney of northern California. Tzekos has also continued to insist that he only knew Arnold as a supplier of nutritional supplements, and has denied receiving illegal substances from him.