Gymnast Yuri van Gelder denies he is using cocaine again

Top gymnast Yuri van Gelder on Thursday issued a statement denying that he has used cocaine since his discharge from an addiction clinic in Scotland.

Ring specialist Van Gelder was put out of the Dutch gymnastics team earlier this week for 'health reasons'. Later, officials from the gymnastics association said he had been using cocaine again.

Van Gelder was suspended from competition for a year after admitting to a cocaine problem in 2009.

No relapse

In the statement, Van Gelder said he had withdrawn from the World Cup competition because of the pressure. And in order to prevent a relapse, he had decided to pull out.

'Since my discharge I have not used any drugs or cocaine,' the statement said.

'The two-year recovery period... has been harder than I had estimated at times, and the past few weeks were a low point.'

'What is being said now in the media is a scandal,' Van Gelder said.

[Source]