December 23, 2006 – Quebec City police announced Friday that Myriam Bedard, Canada’s gold winner medal in biathlon at the 1994 Olympics, was arrested in Columbia, Maryland, near Washington DC. Bedard was sought by police for violating the custody agreement regarding her 12-year-old daughter. Bedard left for the USA with her daughter on October 3 without the permission of the girl’s father, Jean Paquet, who is also Bedard’s ex-husband. Paquet pressed charges of abduction against Bedard on October 17. Extradition procedures have already been started and Bedard is expected back in Canada within a few days.

Bedard’s daughter, presently in the care of American child protection authorities, is reportedly doing well and Paquet is travelling to Washington today to bring her back to Canada.

By coincidence, Bedard celebrated her 37th birthday and her daughter celebrated her 12th birthday on Friday, the same day she was arrested by the US Marshalls. It is unclear whether Bedard’s boyfriend, Nima Mazhari, was with her when she was arrested. Mazhari is not named in the arrest warrant but is facing charges in an unrelated case involving alleged theft of $100,000 of artwork in Montreal.

Bedard, a Quebec City resident, won gold medals in biathlon at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics in both the 7.5-km and the 15-km events.