Faster, HIGHER, Stronger
American judo Olympian Nick Delpopolo -- who lives in Amsterdam and trains in Glenville (backstory) -- has the unfortunate distinction of being the first athlete at the London Olympics to fail an in-competition "doping" test. The substance for which his sample allegedly tested positive: marijuana (technically a metabolite of a compound found in pot).
His explanation: "My positive test was caused by my inadvertent consumption of food that I did not realise had been baked with marijuana before I left for the Olympic Games." Delpopolo had finished seventh in his weight class in London.
Update: Delpopolo has released a statement: he says he ate brownies made by a family member and had no idea they contained pot.
[NBC] [Leader Herald] [AP/ESPN] [US Judo] [Guardian] [USA Today] [Nick Delpopolo Facebook]
Here's the statement from his Facebook page:
"I would like to sincerely apologize to the U.S. Olympic Committee, USA Judo, my teammates, my fans, and everyone that has supported me throughout my Olympic journey. I'm sorry that I let you down. Judo is my life and competing in the Olympics has always been my dream. I would never intentionally do anything to jeopardize that. I was in total disbelief when I was told by the IOC that my test results came back positive. After making frantic phone calls to friends and family following the results, a *family member confessed that the brownies she had baked (and that I had eaten a few weeks prior) contained marijuana. I had no idea that I had ingested marijuana until that moment. I slept the entire four hour drive home the day I ate the brownie, but thought that I was just extremely tired from training and travel. My family member sent a confession letter to the Olympic Committee immediately following the call. Words cannot express how devastated and remorseful I am for making such a big mistake. Although my actions were not deliberate, I know that I let down the entire nation, and for that I am truly sorry."
*The Delpopolo's would like to protect the identity of the family member that caused this unfortunate situation.
Please see the excerpt below from the letter that was sent by Delpopolo's family member to the Olympic Committee:
"...He had absolutely no idea that I dealt with marijuana at all, so it never would've crossed his mind. This is my entire fault. ...This was all a huge mistake. His hard work, and not only dedication to judo, but also being a good role model should not be down graded or punished for my selfishness and stupidity. I wish I could have thought of this possibility, but I couldn't have imagined this ever happening. He is one of the best judoka and people you could ever want to meet, and by all means does not deal with any illegal substances."
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Comments
Marijuana is hardly a performance enhancing drug. It is ridiculous to besmirch an Olympian's name with a failed drug screening for marijuana.
... said Erik on Aug 6, 2012 at 2:08 PM | link
@Erik: I had the same thought about pot being of questionable performance-enhancing value. I wonder why it's even on the list of banned substances.
Now, if eating an entire bag of Doritos ever becomes an Olympic sport...
... said Greg on Aug 6, 2012 at 5:50 PM | link
Why do they even spend resources testing for drugs that aren't doping?
... said Lu on Aug 6, 2012 at 9:05 PM | link
doesn't Phelps have pics of him smoking/ openly admitting it? nobody likes subway THAT much.
seems odd they'd hit this guy that hard.
... said Isaiah on Aug 6, 2012 at 10:39 PM | link
It's not about marijuana, it's about honesty and commitment.
If he wanted to get high, he could've stayed home and toked up all day long and nobody would be bothering him (maybe his parents?). Instead this young man made a promise to be clean and drug-free and compete in the most prestigious athletic competition in the world. Why would we not expect him to live up to this promise? Does an individual's word and honor mean nothing anymore?
... said bk on Aug 7, 2012 at 5:44 AM | link
@bk
I hear what you're saying, but not all drugs are created equal. If they're going to ban pot (something that potentially inhibits performance) then why not also ban caffeine which could give the participants an extra jolt?
... said Mrs. M on Aug 7, 2012 at 9:32 AM | link
Caffeine is on the monitored list. Sudafed is banned
S6. Stimulants
All stimulants are prohibited except for imidazole derivatives for topical use, and those stimulants on the 2012 Monitoring Program (buproprion, caffeine, nicotine, phenylephrine, phenylpropanolamine, pipradrol, and synephrine).
Advisory:
1. Athletes diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and are on stimulants and who are competing should obtain a Therapeutic Use Exemption for their medication. Athletes who are not competing do not need to obtain a TUE in order to use these medications.
2. Athletes diagnosed with narcolepsy, and prescribed medications that contain modafinil or armodafinil, for example, should obtain a TUE if they need to take these medications just prior to or during competition.
3. Pseudoephedrine is an ingredient in several over-the-counter cold and flu medications. WADA has issued an advisory to athletes that they should discontinue taking medications containing pseudoephedrine AT LEAST 24 hours prior to the time defined as “in-competition.†However, in some cases this may not be enough time for the substance to clear from the body. Athletes who intend to compete in the near future, or who are currently in-competition should examine the ingredient list of any medication they are using to ensure it does NOT contain pseudoephedrine.
4. Nicotine and caffeine are not prohibited. They are simply part of WADAs monitoring program.
S8. Cannabinoids
Natural or synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and THC-like cannabinoids (e.g. hashish, marijuana, HU-210) are prohibited.
Advisory:
1. Athletes should be aware that cannabinoids may be retained in fat tissue following chronic use and may be detected weeks after use. There have been situations where sudden weight loss has caused cannabinoid metabolites stored in fat to be released in detectable levels. USADA strongly advises athletes not to use cannabinoids at any time.
... said MattW on Aug 7, 2012 at 12:56 PM | link
Possible less-flimsy excuses than the 'I didn't know it had pot in it . . .' defense:
* I was at SPAC last month . . .
* I was hanging out on the Dream Team bus . . .
* But I'm from Amsterdam . . .
... said Barry on Aug 8, 2012 at 11:07 AM | link