POT SHOT: U.S. SNOWBOARDER RIPS ROSS

Compares golden boy to Bob Marley

WHISTLER, B.C. -- In his new book, American snowboarder Chris Klug has some
harsh words for Whistler's Ross Rebagliati, calling him "Bob Marley on a
snowboard." Rebagliati won the first gold medal awarded in snowboard when
the sport made its Olympic debut at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.

He later tested positive for marijuana and was stripped of the medal before
regaining it on appeal.

In his book To The Edge and Back, Klug recalls his frustration of hearing
about Rebagliati's positive drug test while eating at the athlete's
cafeteria in Nagano.

"After all the years of work and then putting up with the bullshit of FIS
politics in order to legitimize our sport as something other than a
playground for pot-heads and part-time athletes, in my eyes Ross had
literally just pissed it all away in his urine test," Klug wrote.

He also scoffs at Rebagliati's defence he tested positive because he had
inhaled second-hand marijuana smoke.

"Those of us who knew Ross rolled our eyes, wrote Klug.

"He was practically Bob Marley on a snowboard."

The decision to take away Rebagliati's medal was eventually overturned by an
appeal panel.

Klug underwent a liver transplant in 2000, then went on to win a bronze
medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.