Section B · Page 8
The University Daily Kansan
Thursday, February 12, 1998
Gold could be revoked after positive drug test
The Associated Press
TORONTO— Ten years after the Ben Johnson scandal, the Nagano Games were supposed to be Canada's best Olympics ever.
But dismay replaced pride when news broke that the country's new snowboarding hero faced losing his gold medal after drug tests turned up traces of marijuana in his system.
"It a bit like deja vu and a nightmare all over again," said Carol Anne Lutheran, Canadian Olympic Association chairwoman.
But if Canadians felt betrayed by Johnson, they rallied behind snowboarder Ross Rebagliati.
"No one's angry or embarrassed," said John Wells, editor of the twice-weekly newspaper in Rebagliati's hometown of Whistler, British Columbia. "If anything, they're quite protective of Ross."
Rebagliati was a front-page national hero Monday after winning the first-ever Olympic snowboarding event. He was back on the front pages yesterday and the focus of virtually every TV and radio newscast as Canadians tried to absorb the bad news.
"Gold medal gone to pot?" blared the tabloid headline on the Toronto Sun.
Even at Parliament in Ottawa, the debacle was topic No. 1.
Opposition leader Preston Manning, whose right-wing Reform Party has a tough anti-drug stance, took a pro-rebagliati position.
"We shouldn't give up that medal
"It's a bit like déjà vu and a nightmare all over again"
Carol Anne Letheran
Canadian Olympic Association
without a fight." he said.
Heritage Minister Sheila Copps, whose portfolio includes the Olympic program, declined comment pending the outcome of a Canadian appeal of the disqualification.
Should the appeal fail, Rebagliati would join Johnson as the only Olympians to lose gold medals because of drug tests. Johnson was stripped of his medal and 100-meter world record in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea, for using the anabolic steroid stanozolol.
Rebagliati told Canadian officials he had not used marijuana since April 1997 but was in close contact with marijuana smokers Jan. 31 in Whistler before he left for Nagano.
Many Canadians were outraged that Rebagliati faced the same penalty as Johnson even though marijuana, unlike steroids, is not considered a drug that improves performance.
"Pot doesn't affect your performance — it's like alcohol," said Alex Taylor, editor of a Calgary snowboard magazine. "If he had tested positive for drinking, no one would say anything."
they still planned a big welcome home party next week.
In Whistler, Canada's trendiest ski resort town, Rebagliati's friends said
"My plan is to go ahead with everything, regardless," said Graham Turner, party organizer. "Ross has still got the gold to everyone in Whistler. He just might not be on the cover of the Wheaties box."
Rebagliati and Johnson are not the only top Canadian athletes ensnared by drug tests.
Olympic rower Silken Laumann, who eventually was exonerated, lost her gold medal at the 1995 Pan American Games after using an over-the-counter decongestant that contained a banned stimulant.
Four Canadian weightlifters selected for the Seoul Olympics were disqualified. They went so far as to try duping drug testers by inserting another person's urine into their bladders.
Two Canadian weightlifters were disqualified at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics for steroid use.
Heading into the Nagano Games, Canadians were hoping for their biggest medal haul ever at a Winter Olympics, up from 13 in Norway four years ago.
But problems arose almost as soon as the team arrived in Japan, when French-speaking athletes from Quebec felt slighted by the almost exclusive use of English at an official welcoming reception. Ken Warren, president of the Canadian Olympic Association, felt compelled to apologize after the gaffe created a furor in Quebec.
Commentary
Olympic snowboarder loses high of victory
The name Ross Bergaliati will make a great answer to a Trivial Pursuit question someday.
In less than a week, Rebagliati has single-
handedly made Olympic history—twice.
Sunday, the 26-year-old Canadian captured the first-ever gold in snowboarding, beating out Italy's Thomas Pruger and Switzerland's Ueli Kestenholtz.
Rebagliati called the medal "a dream come true" and dedicated his victory to a friend, "Lumpy," who had been killed recently in an avalanche.
It is the kind of stuff that reminds us why the Olympics are so wonderful.
Three days later, Rebagliati officially was disqualified from the 18th Winter Olympics and was ordered by the International Olympic Committee to return his medal.
A urine sample taken after Rebagliati's victory in the giant slalom tested positive for marijuana, which is a violation of IOC rules and serves as the reason for the disqualification.
Olympic officials found 17.8 nanograms of marijuana per milliliter in Rebagliati's system. The International Ski Federation allows 15 nanograms while the IOC allows none.
Dreams were shattered.
Many people will say that it was justice served. Rebagliati used an illegal drug, he broke the rules, and he must face the consequences. He already has been unfavorably compared to another infamous Canadian, Ben Johnson, who was stripped of his gold in 1988 after testing positive for steroid use.
However, if people look closer at that comparison, it becomes apparent that the IOC made a terrible mistake stripping Rebagliati of his medal.
Johnson took steroids—a drug that enhances athletic performance and compromises the integrity of competition
Rebagliati smoked marijuana — a drug that
not only blurs vision, inhibits coordination and induces euphoria, but it is used almost strictly for recreational purposes.
Athletes use steroids to become stronger and
Harley Ratliff
old to become stronger and increase speed. They use marijuana because they want to have a good time.
increase speed marijuanba because th want to have a good time. It is absurd to think that Rebagliati gained an athletic edge by smoking marijuana. If anything, using marijuanba would prevent Rebagliati from reaching his fullest potential, rather than increasing his chances of athletic success.
The young man won the gold medal simply because he is one of the best in the world at what he does, not
because smoked marijuana.
The irony is that Rebagiatia won—and lost—the gold in Japan, a country that until World War II, when United States forces issued a ban, had no laws prohibiting the use or growth of cannabis.
Yet, what's done is done. It is unlikely that Rebagliati ever will have his medal returned despite Canadian appeals. What is more unfortunate is that his place in Olympic history will be tarnished forever.
It is all in the name of fair competition.
The IOC should reward Rebagliati with the gold medal that he deserves. They also should reconsider which drugs belong on the banned-substance list.
Because if it doesn't, it kind of makes you wonder: "What are they smoking?"
Ratliff is a Norman, Okla., junior in journalism.
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