REBAGLIATI DENIES HE LIED

Snowboarder is shocked by an Olympic official's claim that the gold medal
winner smoked marijuana later than admitted.

When he walked in to meet his new Toronto-based agent Thursday morning,
Ross Rebagliati thought his Olympic nightmares were behind him.

That's when he learned a top International Olympic Committee official was
accusing him of lying about his marijuana consumption.

``It was like a kick to the stomach,'' Rebagliati, said in an interview
with The Vancouver Sun the morning after Prince Alexandre de Merode said he
had ``confidential'' test reports that indicated Rebagliati had high levels
of marijuana in urine samples taken in December -- eight months after he
said he stopped smoking.

``I've concluded he didn't stop smoking like he has said, in April 1997,''
de Merode told a press conference.

Rebagliati said he is shocked that de Merode is raising the issue, after a
court of arbitration ruled marijuana is not a banned substance under
Olympic regulations and the IOC had no right to test for it.

``It's a shock to me he's saying that now. He was behind me 100 per cent of
the way (in the court).''

For the record, Rebagliati said he stands by his initial statement -- that
he stopped smoking marijuana last April and any positive tests for
marijuana since then are the result of second hand smoke.

But the allegations by de Merode, the chairman of the International Olympic
Committee medical commission, raise many questions.

Among them: Did Rebagliati lie? Does it matter, since marijuana is not a
banned substance and the IOC should never have been testing for it? Why did
de Merode raise the issue after the court ruling and why did he release
supposedly confidential test results? How did the IOC obtain those results,
which de Merode said came from a Montreal laboratory? Does the Canadian
Centre for Ethics in Sports, which is responsible for drug-testing in
Canada, have its act together? Is Canada being targeted by IOC officials
with a political agenda?

Rebagliati couldn't explain the discrepancy between his statement and de
Merode's. He blamed it on politics. ``I'm not a politician, I'm an
athlete.''

Nor is he thinking of legal action, despite the possibility he stands to
lose contracts for endorsements because the allegations question his
credibility.

``I don't feel I need to clear my name,'' he said. ``There's more to life
than making money. I had a good life before, I will continue to have a good
life.''

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, which is responsible for drug
testing of athletes in Canada, refused to comment Thursday on whether the
Prince's information was correct -- though it is aware of the December
results.

The centre said it is ``inappropriate for the IOC to be commenting on any
findings from the Nagano tests, or any other source of information
concerning the presence or absence of marijuana in Mr. Rebagliati's
samples, past or present.''

Once the court ruled marijuana was not a banned substance and the IOC had
no power to strip Rebagliati of his medal, the issue becomes one of a
``breach of privacy and could constitute an unethical use of both the IOC
screening program or any information obtained from that program,'' the
centre said.

The director of the Canadian lab that conducts dope tests for the centre
also refused to comment on the allegations, citing privacy legislation.

And Christiane Ayotte of INRS Sante insisted Thursday the lab did not
release any information regarding marijuana testing at any time to the IOC.

The communications assistant for Sheila Copps, the federal minister for
sports, said he had not been able to reach her in Japan to discuss the
case.

But Jacques Lefebvre questioned whether the ``confidential report'' that de
Merode referred to actually existed.

``Apparently no one's seen it. Before people jump to conclusions, he should
show that report.''

Ross Rebagliati's dad, Mark, refused to comment on the allegation, except
to say he believes the attack on his son was personally motivated.

``I think the IOC has egg on their face and they're just trying to shift
it. Where are his ethics if he is releasing the alleged results from a
confidential report to the public?''

Rebagliati, who has dropped about nine kilograms since his Feb. 8 win, said
it's of no interest to him whether the IOC ``is with me or against me.''
What is important is the continuing support of family, friends and
Canadians, which he believes he still has, he said.

But he indicated the controversy is affecting his chances of entering,
never mind winning, the next three World Cup races in Europe, due to begin
Feb. 26.

``I haven't ridden since the race, I haven't trained . . . I need food and
sleep,'' he said. ``At this point in time I'm tired and I'm having a hard
time thinking straight.''

But he insisted: ``I'll be back strong next year.''

He's not so convinced about the next Olympics.

``The spirit that I've grown up to know and wanted to be a part of, it's
not there anymore. . . . This is not what the Olympics is about. It's about
fair competition . . . I'm going to have to think about it.''