Hans Knauss reaches settlement in steroids case

Hans Knauss has cleared his name, and, one can surmise, received considerable pecuniary compensation as well.
    Knauss, the Austrian alpine ski team star with seven World Cup wins, two World Championships medals and an Olympic silver medal was suspended by the FIS, the ruling body of ski racing, after a positive drug test following a race at Lake Louise on Nov. 27, 2004. Tests revealed the presence of the anabolic steroid Nandrolone, and six races were swept from his record.  
        "I am simply glad that it is finally past," Knauss told the Austrian Press.
HANS KNAUSS has cleared his name, and, one can surmise, received considerable pecuniary compensation as well.
    Knauss, the Austrian alpine ski team star with seven World Cup wins, two World Championships medals and an Olympic silver medal, was suspended by the FIS, the ruling body of ski racing, after a positive drug test following a race at Lake Louise on Nov. 27, 2004. Tests revealed the presence of the anabolic steroid Nandrolone, and six races were swept from his record.
    He sued the Connecticut-based company Ultimate Nutrition, Inc., for selling him a tainted product. A settlement was announced just prior to the scheduled court appearance in Connecticut. While none of the terms are being made public, Knauss attorney Howard Jacobs told the New York Daily News, "I can tell you that Hans was very happy with the terms."
    Although the FIS recognized the offense was unintentional, regulations required Knauss be banned from the sport. The ban was reduced from two years to 18 months but the Court of Arbitration for Sport refused to accept an appeal — despite finding "only small carelessness" on his part — and Knauss was effectively banned from the 2006 Olympic Games.
    Knauss said he had purchased an Ultimate Nutrition product called Super Complete and was able to prove the product was tainted with steroids. In 2003 Ultimate Nutrition was successfully sued by swimmer Kicker Vencill in a similar case which caused him to miss the Athens Games. Vencill was awarded more than $500,000 in that case.
    "I am simply glad that it is finally past," Knauss told the Austrian Press.