SNOWBOARDER LOSES MEDAL AFTER DRUG TEST

NAGANO - Snowboarding was supposed to bring Generation X into the Winter
Olympics, but instead it quickly has joined the long list of sports with
drug violations.

After testing positive for marijuana, Canada's Ross Rebagliati apparently
will have to give back the first gold medal awarded in snowboarding. He won
the giant slalom Sunday on the Mount Yakebital course.

IOC Director General Francois Carrad announced the failed test Wednesday
(Tuesday night ET) and also that the Canadian delegation had filed an
immediate appeal. The appeal will be ruled on within 24 hours, Carrard said.

"It is always sad to be facing such a situation," Carrard said. "It was not
an easy decision to take."

Carrard said a second urine test taken from Rebagliati showed more signs of
marijuana use, 17.8 nanograms per milliliter.

Carrard wouldn't reveal details of the decision to disqualify Rebagliati,
but he did say the IOC board vote was 3-2, with two members abstaining.

The failed test adds a chapter to Canada's history of drug-related
embarrassment at the Games. Probably the most infamous drug violation
involved a Canadian, when sprinter Ben Johnson lost the 100-meter gold he
won in track in world-record time at the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics.

Unlike anabolic steroids and most other substances on the International
Olympic Committee's banned list, marijuana is not a performance-enhancing
drug. The test for marijuana is considered relatively simple. Unlike some
other drugs, evidence of marijuana use stays in the system for weeks or
even months.

All medalists are tested immediately after competition. A first urine
sample is tested, and if there is a positive result a second sample that
was sealed at the same time as the first is opened and tested.

Snowboarding had received an immediate and enthusiastic reception in
Nagano. A crowd estimated at 10,000 had stood three-deep along both sides
of the lower portion of the giant slalom course.

After his gold-medal performance, the 26-year-old Rebagliati of Vancouver
naturally was ecstatic.

"It was electric," Rebagliati said after has victory. "The vibes going
through all the people were pretty wild. The amount of support was
overwhelming. The amount of media attention was unbelievable. The spirit of
the Olympics certainly shined here today."