U.S. rider's doping suspension reduced to two years

U.S. rider’s doping suspension reduced to two years{mosimage}U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) officials were informed Wednesday by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) that the lifetime suspension of snowboard athlete Chad Otterstrom has been reduced to two years. Otterstrom had reeived the penalty April 2 for a second doping violation.

“We appreciate the fact that there is an appeals process so that an athlete in Chad’s situation can interact with USADA to appeal his or her sanction,” said Alan Ashley, USSA vice president of athletics. “As we said at the time of the original sanction, we, as an athletic organization, strongly support anti-doping measures worldwide in our sport. And the ability for an athlete to appeal a sanction is an important element of a fair and open system. We support the process USADA has implemented in reaching its final decision.”

USADA is responsible for testing and adjudication based on the International Ski Federation’s (FIS) rules for the sport. USSA, as the national governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding, is responsible for enforcing the sanctions issued by USADA.

Last month, Otterstrom, 26, received a lifetime suspension from competition for his second doping violation. Previously, he had received a three-month suspension (January 2000) from FIS for the use of methylphenidate, better known as Ritalin. Following his latest sanction, Otterstrom presented proof that the positive test resulted from his use of a properly prescribed medication for his diagnosed condition of attention deficit order (ADD). According to USADA, his use of the prohibited substance was for the medical condition and not to enhance his performance, and the two-year suspension was the appropriate length under the FIS rules given the circumstances of the violation.

His disqualification from his first-place finish in the men’s superpipe at the Chevy Truck U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix still stands.