Source: Toronto Star Contact: http://www.thestar.com/ Pubdate: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 Author: Doug Smith, Toronto Star Sports Reporter GOLDEN SNOWBOARDER STRIPPED OF HIS MEDAL Canadian hero Rebagliati tests positive for drugs; appeal launched NAGANO - Canada's golden snowboarder, Ross Rebagliati, has been stripped of his gold medal after failing a drug test. Rebagliati, a hero last weekend when he won the first gold medal in the sport's Olympic history, tested positive for marijuana, the International Olympic Committee said today. Canadian Olympic officials said they are appealing the decision. Rebagliati, 26, says he hasn't smoked marijuana since last April and claims that he tested positive because of exposure to second-hand smoke, according to Carol Ann Letheren, chief executive officer of the Canadian Olympic Association. ``He claims the small amount is due to the significant amount of time he spends in an environment with marijuana users,'' Letheren said today. The IOC's decision was announced by director-general Francois Carrard. ``The athlete is disqualified and excluded with immediate effect for the presence of marijuana metabolites,'' Carrard said. The Canadian Olympic Association ``is hereby requested to withdraw the medal awarded to Rebagliati,'' he added. ``The COA has declared its intention to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration of Sport. The decision of that appeal must be rendered within 24 hours.'' Both urine samples provided by Rebagliati tested positive for traces of marijuana. The IOC medical commission, by a 13-12 vote, determined the test was actually positive. The committee's executive board, by a 3-2 vote with two abstentions, then decided to strip Rebagliati of his medal. ``I know there was a very lengthy debate; they were fairly split on the issue,'' Carrard said. Italy's Thomas Prugger won the silver medal behind Rebagliati with Ueli Kestenholz of Switzerland taking bronze and Austrian Dieter Krassnig finishing fourth. They would move up if the ruling were upheld. The Rebagliati case recalls the controversy that erupted when sprinter Ben Johnson was stripped of his Olympic gold medal and world record in 1988 in Seoul for using the anabolic steroid stanozolol. There is a key difference this time: Rebagliati's positive test did not involve what is generally considered a performance-enhancing substance. Asked whether the IOC considered the Rebagliati case an equal crime to Johnson's, Carrard replied with one word - ``No.'' Japanese police said they would question Rebagliati about marijuana use following his disqualification from the Winter Olympics. ``We are going to question the athlete about marijuana because possession of the drug is illegal in Japan,'' said a Nagano police spokesperson. The COA agrees with the test findings but wants the punishment changed to a reprimand. Letheren told a news conference that while the COA does not condone the use of marijuana, it believes the drug does nothing to make a snowboarder better. ``There is no question the minute traces present would not have an effect on the outcome of the competition,'' she said. ``We clearly believe the appropriate penalty in this instance would be a severe reprimand.'' Rebagliati, a resident of Whistler, B.C., was not at the news conference. He issued a statement through snowboard team leader Michael Wood. ``I have been trying for 11 years to become the best snowboarder in the world,'' the statement said. ``I have worked too hard to let this slip through my fingers.'' The arbitration board that will hear the appeal is independent of the IOC Dick Pound, an IOC vice-president from Montreal, said the COA would appeal the results to the Independent Court of Arbitration. He did not say on what grounds the appeal will be lodged. Other COA officials were not immediately available for comment. The arbitration board that will hear the appeal is independent of the IOC. ``They have very ample powers to review this decision,'' Carrard said. Rebagliati was the toast of the Canadian team last weekend after winning the first Olympic snowboarding gold medal in history. He was expected to garner untold riches from his victory and, ironically, said dope testing made him realize just how big his sport had grown. ``It was drug testing that really drove home to me the importance of the Olympics,'' he said. ``I've never been exposed to that kind of thing before.'' But he sounded nonplussed when asked whether he was worried about providing urine samples. ``No, no,'' he said. ``Those tests were for steriods and I've never gone near them.'' Rebagliati has been a member of the national team since 1996 and lists his occupation as pro snowboarder in the Olympic team guide. His hobbies: surfing, golfing and mountain biking among others. ``I'm still going to be the same person, maybe I won't have to worry about getting all the movie channels on my TV now, things like that,'' the 5-foot-10, 180-pounder said. ``But I'm not going to change. ``I'm still the same guy.'' Snowboarding made its Olympic debut at these Games. One of the fastest-growing winter sports in the world, it enjoys immense popularity among young adults. Seen as the renegades of the Olympic movement, the competitors did not fit the mainstream Olympic profile. ``Kids will start growing up with Olympic dreams now,'' Rebagliati said after his win. Sylvia Rebagliati, Ross' grandmother, dismissed the controversy. `He's gone from the height of ecstacy to the depths of turmoil' ``Ridiculous,'' she said from Vancouver. ``I have every confidence in Ross and nothing will deter me from defending him. ``I don't think he's guilty, but it sounds like they're going to put that trip on him. I know him too well. He's not the party type. He doesn't even drink alcohol - except, I guess, for the champagne when he won.'' Rebagliati had finished eighth in the first of two timed runs down the 40-gate, 936-metre snowboard course, including a 290-metre vertical drop, that arrows down Mount Yakebitai northeast of Nagano. But he is known for his strong, let-it-all-out second runs, and he came through again this time to win gold for Canada. Peter Judge, coach of the Canadian freestyle ski team, said he felt bad about the turn of events. ``It's got to be really rough for him,'' Judge said. ``He's gone from the height of ecstasy to the depths of turmoil and despair. I have to say I'm very impressed with how well he spoke and handled himself after he won. ``It's a tough thing to see that young man now put on the stretch rack like that and hung out to dry.'' Bob Clarke, general manager of the Canadian Olympic hockey team, said the news is disappointing. With files from Randy Starkman, Alan Adams, Allan Ryan, Norman Da Costa, Canadian Press and Reuters news agency.