Richmond curling champ and Paralympics gold medalist Jim Armstrongs shoddy reputation took another dive after the World Curling Federation slapped him with an 18-month suspension.
The decision follows a back-and-forth between Armstrong and the World Curling Federation in which he argued that a drug found in his system was taken unintentionally.
A drug test last December found tamoxifen in his system, typically a drug used for breast cancer treatment, but also known to help minimize the side effects of steroids.
Tamoxifen had been among the medicine his wife Carleen, who passed away in 2009 from cancer, was taking and Armstrong claimed he had consumed the drug unknowingly.
He explained in his case hearing that he had transferred his own medications into the bottles which had previously contained tamoxifen to make the opening of his medications easier and more convenient.
In fact, he stated, his medical history made it dangerous to consume the drug.
The official decision hinged on an anti-doping rule that stipulates: It is each athletes personal duty to ensure that no prohibited substance enters his or her own body.
The 61-year-old has made his rounds in the press not only for the 2010 Paralympics gold medal, but also for his past involvement in drug smuggling.
In 2011, Armstrong was fined $30,000 for his role in a father-son scheme to smuggle $45,000-worth of fake Viagra and Cialis erectile dysfunction drugs into Canada via the U.S.
Armstrong was able to avoid jail time, but his son, Greg, was less fortunate, sentenced to one year in prison, two years of supervised release and a $5,000 fine.
He was allowed to continue to curl for Canada until now.
