Stupidity, corruption at core of drug menace, says weightlifters

Nine lifters have tested positive at the Games with Leonidas Sampanis of Greece being stripped of his bronze medal on Sunday.

Top weightlifters have pointed the finger at dumb athletes and corrupt coaches for causing the latest drug scandal which has put the sport's Olympic future under a cloud.

Nine lifters have tested positive at the Athens Games with Leonidas Sampanis of Greece being stripped of his bronze medal on Sunday after tests revealed he had double the permitted amount of testosterone in his system.

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Pyrros Dimas, the Greek superhero who added a bronze medal to his three Olympic weightlifting golds last night, said that some lifters gambled by taking drugs.

"We are tested frequently by various bodies and therefore there will be some positive tests," said Dimas, who said he had gone through the 'Passion of Christ' just to be ready for Saturday's competition.

"Some athletes take a chance and others just do not think before they use some substances. I am not in a position to analyse why they do this.

"But I still think the people believe in the athletes. There have always been rumours about drug taking. When you are at the top you have to hang on tight in order not to fall."

Russia's Valentina Popova, who won bronze in the 75kg category, speculated that coaches in cahoots with big business could be part of the problem.

"On occasions a lack of preparation on behalf of the coaches, who cannot deal with an issue properly, could give rise to problems," she said.

"Bearing in mind an anti-doping institute exists that means a phenomenon exists and we can only guess there is a huge business behind all this.