The Canadian Organizing Committee (COC) for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver failed to invite past Canadian Olympic medalists, including snowboarding champ Ross Rebagliati, to participate in the ceremonies. Rebagliati was stripped of his snowboarding gold medal when he tested positive for pot in 1998.

"It's a terrible thing, and I don't want to say bad stuff about the Olympics," Rebagliati moaned. "I grew up with the Olympic dream, so I've always had that admiration, and I would like to have been part of it... I can boil it down to an oversight, an opportunity that's been missed."

For instance, Rebagliati, who lives in Kelowna, wanted to carry the torch as it passed through British Columbia. At first he wasn't selected by the Vancouver Olympics Committee (Vanoc), but after griping to the CBC, Vanoc relented. He did his part on a skateboard.

Still, Rebagliati and other former Olympic heroes had to score their own tickets for the opening ceremonies and the events scheduling in Vancouver and Whistler through Feb. 28.

"We are just not resourced to set up a special program for them," said Vanoc's Renee Smith-Valade. "As the organizing committee, we need to look after all the athletes, and so that's why we look to the national organization committee to decide."

COC head Chris Rudge coldly added: "We would not differentiate between the medallists and all the other Olympians. And: "The COC has no control or involvement with tickets or accreditation whatsoever."

Though Rebagliati insisted he hadn't smoked marijuana during the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano and blamed the failed drug test on second-hand smoke contracted at a party in Whistler prior to leaving for Japan (he won back the medal in an arbitration hearing), the Olympian has certainly inhaled his share of BC Bud. But to get stoned, not to enhance performance.

"The use of cannabis in a high-profile situation basically gives you anxiety, that's something that everybody will stand up and admit," he explained. "There's a time and place for everything, and a high-profile event where you're on the chopping block is not it. There's TV cameras and reporters, your peers and your family, everybody watching you on TV. I can tell you unequivocally that it would never make sense to use cannabis to calm your nerves or whatever."

Weighing in on the Michael Phelps controversy, Rebagliati commented: "I guarantee, even with that one bong hit, Phelps is 100% healthier than the average human being... I think marijuana is less taboo than it was back in 1998 when my incident occurred. It definitely is not a performance enhancing substance. I personally think it is safer than alcohol and cigarettes."

Photo courtesy of AP

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