Where is Victor Conte now? Untold: Hall of Shame subject today
A new instalment in Netflix's Untold series will delve into a doping scandal that rocked the sporting world.
Netflix’s Untold documentary series is all about shedding light on stories from the world of sports.
Previous episodes have charted the careers of sporting figures including former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner and tennis player Mardy Fish, while the most recent instalments have delved into YouTuber Jake Paul’s pivot to boxing and the college football star Johnny Manziel, who would eventually become mired in scandal and controversy.
Upcoming instalment Untold: Hall of Shame, however, does something a little different: Rather than focusing on a sportsperson, it tells the story of Victor Conte, the musician who would go on to found the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, the sports nutrition centre at the heart of one of the biggest doping scandals in sporting history.
The centre, it was later discovered, had been supplying banned performance-enhancing substances, including human growth hormone and the steroid tetrahydrogestrinone, to athletes. These drugs could go undetected even amid rigorous, high-level testing.
Hall of Shame includes insights from figures including the former head of BALCO’s lab and the anti-doping authorities who eventually brought the case against Conte.
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Who is Victor Conte?
Born in 1950, Conte started out his career as a bass player in groups like Common Ground, Pure Food and Drug Act, and Tower of Power.
His music career came to an end in the late '70s, and in 1984 he and his then-wife Aubry founded Millbrae Holistic, a vitamin shop. This later became sports nutrition company BALCO.
Conte’s nutritional know-how was largely self-taught, and he would initially use an ICP spectrometer to test for potential mineral deficiencies in athletes, then treating any shortages with supplements.
What happened in the doping scandal?
In the mid-'90s, BALCO’s focus changed significantly. Conte is thought to have started working with the chemist Patrick Arnold to develop performance-enhancing drugs which were largely undetectable through testing.
The substances included erythropoietin, a hormone which stimulates the production of red blood cells, allowing the body to better transport oxygen, human growth hormone, the stimulant modafinil (which has been marketed to treat narcolepsy and other sleep disorders), testosterone cream and tetrahydrogestrinone or THG, an anabolic steroid nicknamed 'the clear'.
The drugs were sold on to high-level athletes, including Olympians and Major League Baseball stars.
2000 marked the foundation of the US Anti-Doping Agency, a body designed to take responsibility for drug testing in sports.
Two years later, an official federal investigation into BALCO’s practices was opened, and the following summer, the USADA received a used syringe containing a mysterious substance later revealed to be THG.
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In 2004, the attorney general announced a 42-count indictment against Conte, BALCO’s James Valente, athletics coach Remi Korchemny and personal trainer Greg Anderson - but 40 of these were later dropped.
In an interview with Martin Bashir, Conte admitted to running doping programmes for record-breaking Olympians; he would eventually plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute steroids and one count of money laundering, serving four months in prison.
Where is Victor Conte now?
After serving his sentence, Conte returned to work for Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning, the supplement company that he founded in 1987, a few years after launching BALCO.
According to SNAC’s website, Conte, now in his 70s, was "forever changed" by his "notorious BALCO years", and he is now committed to anti-doping initiatives and an advocate for regular testing.
Indeed, Conte told Sportico in 2021 that all of the boxers he works with are enrolled with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency, which offers stringent testing procedures.
In the years since the scandal, none of the athletes that Conte has worked with have ever tested positive for an illegal substance.
When is Hall of Shame on Netflix?
The latest Untold documentary is set to debut on the streamer on Wednesday 16th August, and will be followed by the final instalment, which is all about the Florida Gators underdog story, on 23rd August.
Untold: Hall of Shame launches on Netflix on Tuesday 15th August. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out our lists of the best series on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix, or see what else is on with our TV Guide.
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