June 30, 2003 (Park City, Utah) – U.S. Disabled Cross Country Ski Team athlete Candace Cable, who won three world championships and the season-long World Cup title last winter, is keeping a forward-looking approach despite a positive doping ruling by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and a subsequent reinstatement based on inadvertent usage. The IPC issued its ruling Monday, resulting in Cable having to give up her three World Championships gold medals and the World Cup title.

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, which oversees the U.S. Disabled Ski Team, expressed support for Cable, as well as continued support for anti-doping enforcement and the unification of procedures globally.

“Anti-doping continues to be a big point for our organization,” said USSA Vice President of Athletics Alan Ashley. “It's important that we have anti-doping enforcement in our sport, and that the procedures are unified so that all athletes clearly understand and appreciate the need for these rules, and that the process of handling offenses is clear and unified.”

“I'm a pretty positive person by nature,” said Cable. “This has really shaken me, but I want to move forward and rebuild the credibility I've established over the past 23 years as an elite athlete.”

Cable, 48, who is an accomplished wheelchair athlete in the summer and ski athlete in winter, has competed in nine Winter or Summer Paralympics, and in three summer Olympic exhibitions. She has won 12 Paralympic medals (plus two in Olympic exhibitions), and nine in Winter Paralympics or World Championships. Earlier this month, she won the wheelchair division of the famed Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN.

According to the IPC, Cable “returned an adverse analytical finding in her urine sample <Feb. 9>, containing the banned substance(s) exogenous testosterone or testosterone precursors.” The IPC initially suspended Cable for two years from the date of the test, then reinstated her effective June 12, based on “exceptional circumstances.” The loss of her titles stands and she has no further avenues of appeal, according to IPC protocol.

According to the IPC, Cable was using a skin cream provided by her chiropractor, who told her it did not contain any banned substances despite his knowledge to the contrary. Based on that evidence, IPC granted Cable a reinstatement under “exceptional circumstances” as provided under the IPC Medical & Anti-Doping Code. While IPC is a signatory of the World Anti-Coping Code, it still maintains its own process of testing and adjudication and is not anticipated to come under the supervision of WADA until 2004.

“I'm proud of what I have accomplished as an athlete, and I'm very passionate for my sport.  I don't want this to impact the public's view of my sport,” said Cable. “I also want athletes to recognize how serious anti-doping rules are and how you simply cannot take them for granted.”

According to Cable, she was using progesterone for pre-menopausal symptoms. She had consulted with her medical provider and was told there were no banned substances in the new cream provided to her. Her positive test came on Feb. 9. She was negative in subsequent tests that same week. She was not notified of the positive test until two months later.

“Candace is one of the most passionate and upstanding athletes,” said Ashley. “This is really unfortunate for her, but she has a positive attitude in both looking to the future for herself and her sport, and helping to educate athletes on the need to be very serious about anti-doping.

“I'm confident she will be training full-tilt this summer to get ready for the ski season,” added Ashley, “and that the passion and the fun she experiences in the sport will continue to be best in the world!”