Britain's Alain Baxter has been stripped of his Winter Olympic bronze medal after testing positive for the banned substance methamphetamine at Salt Lake City. The British Olympic Association announced this afternoon that the International Olympic Committee would officially rescind his third place finish in the men's slalom last month, after the Scottish skier unknowingly took the drug in an over-the-counter nasal inhailer.
British Olympic Association chairman Craig Reedie has backed Alain Baxter, claiming the circumstances were 'unfortunate at worst'. Reedie revealed: "The BOA is requested to return to the IOC no later than March 31 the medal and the diploma. The BOA is very disappointed with the decision reached by the IOC. We take the view that the circumstances of the case are unfortunate at worst and Alain has suffered a dreadful penalty. No way can Alain be described as a 'drugs cheat'.
Earlier Reedie read a statement for the International Olympic Committee confirming the penalty. It read: "The executive board of the International Olympic Committee decided the athlete Mr Alain Baxter is disqualified from the men's alpine skiing slalom event of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games of Salt Lake City."
Filed by Shane Murray
