SWIMMING:A South Carolina county sheriff today warned he will charge Michael Phelps with a crime if an investigation determines that the Olympic great smoked marijuana.
Phelps, who won a record eight gold medals at last summer’s Beijing Olympics, admitted to “regrettable” behaviour after a photograph showed the swimmer smoking from a marijuana pipe.
The controversial photo, published on Sunday in the News of the World, was taken while Phelps was at a party last November at the University of South Carolina. Sporting a backward baseball cap and a white T-shirt, Phelps was photographed inhaling from a large pipe.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said that he is considering pressing criminal charges against the 23-year-old, who did not admit to smoking marijuana but did not deny the authenticity of the photo.
“This case is no different than any other case,” Lott said. “This one might be a lot easier since we have photographs of someone using drugs and a partial confession. It’s a relatively easy case once we can determine where the crime occurred.”
Marijuana possession is considered a misdemeanour in Richland County and is punishable by up to 30 days in jail.
Since the photo surfaced, Lott is the only authority that has publicly raised the possibility of taking legal action against Phelps.
Both the University of South Carolina and Columbia police departments have stated that they will not pursue charges. The United States Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee have also made statements supporting Phelps.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) does not classify marijuana as a performance-enhancing drug, and athletes that are resting or in training are not tested for the substance.
Athletes are subject to Wada sanctioning only for positive drug tests that are taken during competition periods. Phelps has never tested positive for a banned substance.
The party at South Carolina took place three months after the Beijing Games, where Phelps broke Mark Spitz’s record for the most gold medals won at a single Olympics. Phelps has 14 career gold medals, also a record.