- Victor Conte, the founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) and architect of a scheme to provide undetectable performance-enhancing drugs to athletes, has died at the age of 75.
- Conte supplied steroids, known as 'the cream' and 'the clear', to numerous elite athletes, including baseball star Jason Giambi and Olympic track champion Marion Jones.
- A federal investigation into BALCO led to convictions for several individuals, including Jones, and Conte himself, who pleaded guilty to charges in 2005 and served four months in a minimum-security prison.
- The scandal prompted the publication of the book 'Game of Shadows' and led to baseball Commissioner Bud Selig commissioning the Mitchell report on steroid use in the sport.
- Despite breaking the all-time home run record, Barry Bonds, whose personal trainer was linked to BALCO, has never been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
IN FULL
Victor Conte, who sold undetectable steroids to elite athletes in baseball and track, has died at 75
