The Ski Association of Japan said on Wednesday it has indefinitely banned two teenage snowboarders after they were found to have used marijuana on a tour to the United States in December.
One of the teenagers admitted to smoking marijuana at a party in Colorado, where cannabis can be prescribed to 18-year-olds and is legal for recreational purposes for those who are 21. The other has denied using the drug. Both have been taken off the SAJ's elite list.
Tests found traces of marijuana in the snowboarders' hair. The SAJ did not give their names or ages as they are minors.
SAJ executive board member Takahiko Takayama said at a press conference that the association could not at the present moment weigh the possibility of the snowboarders appearing at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games in South Korea.
The SAJ at a board meeting accepted the resignation of Fumikazu Hagiwara, the head of the snowboarding department, to take responsibility for the failed tests.