Ross Rebagliati, an Olympic gold medalist for Canada in snowboarding, is suing CTV. Rebagliati claims that a character on their TV series “Whistler” is based on him and has damaged his image.

The suit was filed in British Columbia’s Supreme Court on Wednesday, reports the Canadian Press. The suit charges CTV with misappropriation of personality, breach of privacy and defamation.

The character in question, Beck MacKaye, is a blond, blue-eyed, Olympic gold medal-winning snowboarder who lives in Whistler. He also happens to be a blackmailing alcoholic who is involved in a hit-and-run accident that leaves a woman paralyzed.

“I’m the only blond-haired, blue-eyed Canadian snowboard Olympic gold medal winner who lives in Whistler in the world,” said Rebagliati at a news conference.

It’s not the first time that controversy has surrounded Rebagliati. He won the first ever Olympic snowboarding event in 1998 at Nagano. However, he was stripped of his medal after testing positive for marijuana. When it came out that marijuana wasn’t on the International Olympic Committee’s list of banned substances, though, the medal was reinstated.

He is currently training for possible entry into the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, to be held in Whistler and Vancouver.

CTV has denied his claims.






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