An Olympic alpine skier who was injured in a drunken incident where he was dragged about 90 yards by a party bus at the Calgary Stampede says he will reassess his alcohol consumption, the Vancouver Sun reported Saturday.
Canadian Manuel Osborne-Paradis, 27, who competed at the Vancouver Games last year and has three World Cup victories, was intoxicated when he climbed on to a moving party bus at the annual rodeo and parade on July 15, lost his balance and fell off the back.
A piece of his clothing became caught on the trailer hitch and he was dragged along the ground until another motorist alerted the bus driver.
He was taken to the hospital with severe road rash to his buttocks and has spent the past week in the Foothills Hospital burn unit, where he plans to volunteer his time once released.
Speaking from the hospital, Osborne-Paradis said the experience had been an "eye opener."
"I could have been killed," he said.
Asked how intoxicated he was, he said: "I definitely had a couple. It wasn't over the top, but it's definitely something that I will have to reassess in the upcoming weeks.
"Judgments need to change . . . to make sure any sponsor would be proud to have me as an athlete."
After being ticketed under the Traffic Safety Act, Osborne-Paradis paid a $115 fine but still faces internal discipline from Alpine Canada.
"I've tried really hard in my career to put every effort into youth programs and to try to be a great role model in and out of sports," he said.
"I'm sorry that my actions have strewn into me being an athlete that isn't appropriate for young kids to be looked up to. I'd much rather be seen as an athlete who is honorable and does the right things at the right time."
Osborne-Paradis was still recovering from a broken leg sustained in a World Cup race in January at the time of the incident. He is expected to resume training in four to six weeks.
