'Cow cocaine' warning has bearing on Alberto Contador court case

The contaminated meat defence so beloved by many an athlete accused of using the banned steroid clenbuterol may not be so outlandish after all. In a development that will not go unnoticed by lawyers acting for Alberto Contador at a hearing next month at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the World Anti-Doping Agency has issued a warning to athletes competing at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. "[We] have received compelling evidence … that indicates a serious health problem in Mexico with regards to meat contaminated with clenbuterol," it said in a statement. "Wada's message to athletes travelling to Mexico remains the same and that is to exercise extreme caution with regard to what they eat and where they eat." According to reports, clenbuterol has become the drug of choice in Mexico for ranchers who want to fatten their cattle before taking them to market. The Miami Herald claimed: "Use of the steroid is illegal. But it has found a niche among ranchers, who marvel at the way it helps cattle build muscle mass before going to the slaughterhouse. The beef is pink and largely free of layers of fat, winning over unwitting consumers. Ranchers call the powdery substance 'miracle salts'. A few call it 'cattle cocaine'."...more