Cocaine may trip Garcia's 4th Olympic bid

Cocaine may trip Garcia's 4th Olympic bid
AGENCIES

LONDON, DECEMBER 18: Great Britain hockey playmaker Russell Garcia, the only player from the British team that won an Olympic gold in 1988 still in the international side, received a three-month ban on Thursday after admitting taking cocaine.

Garcia, a professional hairdresser, underwent an out-of-competition doping test by UK Sport on November 29, and his three-month ban commences from the start of the temporary suspension which began two days later.

Prior to taking the test, Garcia, who also won a Commonwealth Games bronze medal in 1998, admitted to coaching staff that he had taken cocaine and was immediately suspended from the Great Britain training squad.

The test result confirmed the presence of cocaine and Garcia appeared before the Great Britain Olympic Hockey Board disciplinary panel on Wednesday."I realise my action has brought hockey and, in particular, the Great Britain team into disrepute and I deeply regret this," he said. "I would like to extend my deepest apologies to my team-mates, thecoaching staff and all involved in Great Britain and English hockey."

The 29-year-old Garcia, who has made a record 289 appearances, became the youngest hockey player to win an Olympic gold in Seoul at the age of 18. He looked set to break a British hockey record when competing in his fourth Olympics next September.

The British Olympic Association confirmed they have a rule which clearly states that any person found guilty of a doping offence by their national governing body shall not be eligible for consideration as a member of the Olympic team. It seems highly unlikely that Garcia will line up for Great Britain in the 2000 Games in Sydney.