The Olympics has a strict and zero tolerance drug policy as US Olympic Judo athlete Nicholas Delpopolo positive for marijuana and has been disqualified from competing.
US Olympic Judo Athlete Nicholas Delpopolo Positive for Marijuana and Disqualified – photo by Bundeswehr-Fotos Wir.Dienen.Deutschland
According to USA Today, US judo athlete Nicholas Delpopolo has tested positive for marijuana and has been disqualified from the London Olympics by the IOC, the US Olympic Committee announced Monday. In a statement released to the press, 23-year-old Delpopolo said: “I apologize to U.S. Olympic Committee, to my teammates, and to my fans, and I am embarrassed by this mistake. I look forward to representing my country in the future, and will re-dedicate myself to being the best judo athlete that I can be.”
According to Delpopolo, he inadvertently ate a baked good that contained marijuana before he left for the Olympics. While Delpopolo has lost all of his Olympic judo matches thus far, as he has a 0-4 record in the sporting event, this is the first in-competition positive test for the U.S. Olympic team in London.
However, while this may be the first in-competition drug incident, before the official start of the Olympic games, wrestler Stephany Lee was kept off the team after testing positive for tetrahydrocannabinol acid, a marijuana metabolite, on April 21 at the Olympic trials in Iowa City, Iowa, making it her second doping incident.
Though the incident is a hit to the US, the United States Olympic Committee spokesman Patrick Sandusky said the organization is committed to clean competition: “Any positive test, for any banned substance, comes with the appropriate consequences and we absolutely support the disqualification. We look forward to witnessing the continued success of our athletes and commend their dedication to clean sport.”
Delpopolo is from Westfield, N.J., and lives in Amsterdam, N.Y. He finished competing in London on July 30.
US Olympic Judo Athlete Nicholas Delpopolo Positive for Marijuana and Disqualified.
