Skiing: Baxter has little chance to retain medal

Alain Baxter, who tested positive for a prohibited substance after winning Britain's first-ever Winter Olympics skiing medal last month, may be stripped of his bronze slalom medal even if he produces a "viable reason" why methamphetamine was found in his urine sample.

"According to the Olympic movement's anti-doping code, doping is 'the presence in the athlete's body of a prohibitive substance or evidence of use'," Michele Verroken, UK sport's director of anti-doping, said yesterday.

Verroken added that a second sample from Baxter has yet to be tested, but the International Olympic Committee could proceed with a case against Baxter in the meantime. "[After the second test] we then move to on to the disciplinary stage, where charges are laid to the athlete and they have the right to offer explanations as to why that positive sample might have been the case or why they shouldn't consider it a doping offence," she added.

"Having listened to all of that, they [the IOC] still could still hand out a sanction, they could say there is a penalty but no sanction, and they could still take away the medal."

Some reports have suggested that Baxter's positive test came as a result of a nasal decongestant inhaler, which is thought to contain a derivative of methamphetamine. Baxter has not said this publicly, although it is thought he may argue this in his defence when he appears before the IOC's medical panel, in Lausanne, to defend himself. A date for that hearing is expected later this week.

Baxter has declared that he is "entirely innocent" and the 28-year-old from Aviemore has vowed to clear his name. Even if he argues that he ingested a prohibited substance unknowingly, however, there is some doubt whether he will hold on to his medal.

A precedent was set at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, when the Romanian gymnast, Andrea Raducan, tested positive for pseudoephedrine as a result of a cold cure given to her by her national team doctor. She was stripped of her all-round gold medal, but was not banned from competition.

The British Olympic Association said yesterday that the BOA will support Baxter in any way it can. "Our role now is to offer advice and support as and when Alain needs it," a spokesman said.

"Clearly we had a duty of care to him under our remit of the Games and when Alain goes to the inquiry commission in Lausanne – whenever that will be – our chef de mission Simon Clegg, who is also the BOA chief executive, will go with him."