US snowboarder suing IOC after sport is eliminated from Winter Olympics


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PARK CITY — Seeing winter return brings smiles to lots of people.

"It's exciting to have all the resorts opening, the fresh snow on the ground," Justin Reiter said Friday.

For Reiter, a U.S. Olympic snowboarder, seeing all that snow in the mountains above Park City means it's time to start training again.

"Last year I had a really strong season. I finished third overall in the world, won my first world cup, and I came off the season on a high," he said. "And then it felt like I got punched in the gut."

A few months ago, Reiter found out the International Olympic Committee is eliminating his sport — parallel slalom snowboard racing — from the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. And he doesn't know exactly why.

"That's a really good question, and I think the answer is a lot more political than I understand. I think it has to so with overall medal counts. I think it has to do with things that are beyond me," said Reiter, who is the lone U.S. athlete on the parallel slalom team.

Vic Wild, a former U.S. snowboarder who married a Russian woman and became a Russian citizen, won two gold medals in Sochi competing for Russia in parallel slalom and giant parallel slalom.

One reason Wild decided to race for Russia is because of the support the Russian Federation gives to the parallel slalom team. Reiter and Wild are friends.

Instead of just accepting the decision, Reiter decided to sue the IOC in Switzerland, where the Committee is based. So far, a judge has allowed the lawsuit to go ahead.

"Because what the IOC has done, is they removed an event inside of a three-year window, which is violating their own bylaws," Reiter said.

Giving athletes at least a three-year window, if a sport is being eliminated, means money and time won't be wasted training for the Olympics.

"I feel the IOC is no longer representing their own spirit," Reiter said. "I feel they've got lost in bureaucracy. (It's) a popularity contest. They've diluted the fact of what the Olympics is supposed to represent."

Eric Betts/KSL-TV
Eric Betts/KSL-TV

Reiter is the snowboarder who made news for sleeping in his truck in Park City to save money for training hoping to make the 2014 Olympic team.

When he did make the team, his Olympic experience didn't go as he hoped. Reiter finished near the bottom in one event and disqualified in the other.

However, he accomplished his dream of competing in the Olympics.

"I don't want this to sound like I'm a whining athlete. This is bigger than me. This is bigger than snowboarding. I want younger athletes to have the ability to dream the way I did," Reiter said.

Giant Parallel Slalom is still scheduled to be a 2018 Olympic sport, just not regular parallel slalom. However, Reiter thinks once one is eliminated it would be easier for the IOC to get rid of the other.

Reiter competes in both.

The next step is a Dec. 10 court date in Switzerland. Reiter, his lawyers and the IOC will be there, but Reiter knows continuing to fight this may start getting expensive.

If you would like to donate to his legal fund, you can help by visiting his page on RallyMe.com*.

*KSL.com does not assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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