SECOND CANADIAN FLUNKS DRUG TEST

Olympic Axe For Equestrian Who Tested Positive For Cocaine

A second Canadian athlete in as many days has been kicked off the Olympic
team for failing a drug test.

Eric Lamaze, Canada's top medal hope in show jumping, tested positive for
cocaine, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport said yesterday.

Lamaze, 32, of Schomberg, also tested positive for cocaine just prior to
the 1996 Atlanta Games and was turfed off that Olympic team.

Earlier this week, hammer thrower Robin Lyons, 23, of Edmonton, reportedly
tested positive for an anabolic steroid at the Canadian Olympic trials. She
filed an appeal yesterday.

Lamaze's positive test for cocaine came after a random test was conducted
at his York Region home on Aug. 29, said his lawyer Tim Danson.

Danson said there is more to the story than a positive drug test. Though he
would not offer specifics, he said he was suspicious.

The A sample of his test came back positive. The B sample will probably be
tested today, Danson said.

"Something occurred that caused me to be suspicious," Danson said of the
test. ``In the circumstances, I said, `Let's just go and let's do our own
just to have it.' "

He requested that Lamaze attend an independent laboratory in Toronto to
provide a urine sample. The test was performed less than 24 hours later.

That sample, Danson said, came back negative.

"They may say their testing is more refined and more accurate," Danson
said."But we went to an accredited lab."

Lamaze grew up in a poor area of Montreal to a mother who was a drug
trafficker, Danson said.

"He has overcome adversity in his life that few people could come close to
appreciating," Danson said. "He has tremendous strength."

Lamaze could not be reached for comment when he returned home.

Lamaze was at Spruce Meadows in Calgary with his mount Cagney to ride in
the Masters Tournament when he abruptly pulled out yesterday morning,
citing "a personal emergency."

Terrance Millar, manager of the equestrian team, called the news of the
positive test "devastating'' and "sad."

"He's had a brilliant year," Millar said of Lamaze. "Here's a guy who's at
the very top of his game."

Millar appeared frustrated by the announcement of the positive test, noting
Lamaze had undergone several tests over the last few years.

"A complete waste," Millar said. "He knows he'll be tested here. He knows
he'll be tested at the Olympics."

Lamaze was to compete in the team and individual jumping events in Sydney.
"He was maybe the top horse-rider combination," Millar said. "He was a
lynchpin on our team."

Lamaze and horse Millcreek Raphael were named in July to the Olympic team
by the Canadian Equestrian Federation's selection committee.

First alternate Jonathan Asselin, 41, of Calgary left for Sydney on Monday
and is expected to ride his horse Spirit of Xerox II as a replacement for
Lamaze.

The horse was flown to Australia with the rest of the team horses several
weeks ago.

Canadian Olympic Association spokesperson Dina Bell-Laroche said the COA
hadn't heard anything official regarding Lamaze.

"I'm not commenting on any particular case because we don't have any
information, but whenever an athlete tests positive it's an unfortunate
situation," Bell-Laroche said in an interview from Sydney.

"But from the COA's perspective I can tell you that we have put a lot of
programs in place to make sure that athletes are aware of the banned
substance lists.

"It's unfortunate when someone tests positive, but when it happens it also
shows the system is working. Most of our athletes are drug-free, and Canada
has one of the most aggressive anti-doping policies in the world."

Highly respected by his peers, Lamaze was called the `"golden-haired boy''
of show jumping.

A former Canadian equestrian champion, Lamaze was originally suspended for
four years just before the 1996 Atlanta Games.

He immediately appealed that suspension but any hopes of riding at those
Games were shattered when he broke his right leg while training a young
horse in King Township.

His suspension was commuted to seven months after he appealed on the
grounds he took cocaine four times in three months before the 1996 Olympic
trials but it was for personal use rather than to gain any competitive edge.

With files from Jim Byers and Canadian Press