Canadian athlete Dave Duncan arrested, released in South Korea
Canadian Olympic Committee confirms incident, says it takes matter 'very, very seriously'
Canadian ski cross athlete David Duncan, his wife Maja, and Ski Cross high performance director Willy Raine were arrested and released Saturday after police in South Korea say a vehicle was stolen, with the driver legally impaired at the time of arrest.
Daegwallyeong police allege Raine was behind the wheel and had a blood-alcohol level of 0.16. The legal limit in South Korea is 0.05.
A CBC News source says the Duncans and Raine have been been restricted from leaving South Korea, although it's unclear whether their passports have been confiscated.
A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada told CBC consular officials had been in contact with the Duncans and Raine as well as local authorities, but would offer no further information.
"I would like to apologize profusely for my inexcusable actions," Raine said in a statement released by the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC). "Words are not enough to express how sorry I am. I have let my teammates, friends and my family down. I would also like to apologize to the owner of the vehicle that was involved."
Raine, who is based in Whistler, B.C., is the son of Canadian skiing legend and B.C. senator Nancy Greene.
The Duncans echoed Raine's apology.
"We are deeply sorry," the Duncans said in the same COC statement. "We engaged in behaviour that demonstrated poor judgment and was not up to the standards expected of us as members of the Canadian Olympic team or as Canadians."
Police have taken statements from the three and the case has been turned over to prosecutors. No court date has been set yet.
Cases like these can sometimes take a long time to go through the South Korean judicial system, but CBC News has been told the case has been expedited, though it's unclear how long it may take to come to a resolution.
"The Korean police have concluded their investigation and our team members have been released," COC CEO Chris Overholt said.
"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 of these individuals. All team members are expected to respect the laws of South Korea and all places we compete in around the world."
Dave Duncan, from London, Ont., finished in eighth in ski cross at the Pyeongchang Games, besting his 24th place finish in Sochi in 2014. He's also won X-Games bronze in 2012 and silver in 2010.
Raine competed in alpine skiing at the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France.
With files from CBC News, Canadian Press