An Olympic Effort

Hewlett-Packard played a significant role in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, providing equipment for drug testing at the games. HP’s JP gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer systems, along with several gas chromatographs, were used to detect banned substances in athletes’ urine samples. These systems tested around 100 samples daily and could handle up to 150 or more in a 24-hour period. A dedicated three-person HP team worked around the clock to ensure the equipment functioned properly throughout the games. Dr. Donald Catlin, director of the UCLA Clinical Pharmacology Lab that performed all drug testing for the Olympics, said, “[HP] has first-rate analytical equipment. I don’t feel anyone makes better equipment.”