Canadian Olympian arrested after alleged drunken car theft in PyeongChang
A Canadian Olympian might have gone a little too far in his post-Olympic celebrations in PyeongChang.
According to multiple reports, freestyle skier Dave Duncan, his wife Maja, and ski cross director Willy Raine were arrested in South Korea early Saturday morning after allegedly stealing a red Hummer.
The Canadian Olympic Committee confirmed that an incident involving police had occurred, but declined to offer further details.
Raine, according to police, was behind the wheel and allegedly had a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit.
The three were reportedly released after the arrest, but, per CBC, have been restricted from leaving South Korea for the time being.
Per Yonhap News Agency, Duncan and the others stole the car after a night of drinking. The car had been left running. The group was tracked down approximately an hour after the theft, after driving to the Olympic village.
“We are deeply sorry,” Dave and Maja said in a joint statement released on Saturday night. “We engaged in behaviour that demonstrated poor judgement and was not ip to the standards expected of us as Members of the Canadian Olympic Team or Canadians.”
Raine’s blood-alcohol content, per police, was 0.16. The legal limit in the United States is 0.08. The legal limit in South Korea is 0.05.
“I would like to apologize profusely for my inexcusable actions,” Raine said in a statement. “Words are not enough to express how sorry I am. I have let down my teammates, friends and family down. I would also like to apologize to the owner of the vehicle that was involved.”
Canadian Olympic Committee CEO Chris Overholt said at a news conference Saturday that Duncan, his wife and Raine are cooperating with authorities, “and we take this matter, of course, very, very seriously.”
“The Korean police have concluded their investigation and our team members have been released,” Overholt said in a statement. “We expect our athletes and team members to conduct themselves responsibly and in keeping with our Canadian and Olympic values. We are deeply disappointed in the behaviours in these individuals. All team members are expected to respect the laws of South Korea and all places we compete in around the world.”
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
