SIDEBAR White dismisses lawsuit 'gossip', eyes skateboarding at Tokyo 2020

Pyeongchang, South Korea (dpa) - US snowboard triple gold medallist Shaun White has dismissed sexual misconduct allegations made against him in a 2016 lawsuit as "gossip." "Ilsquo;m here to talk about the Olympics, not gossip and stuff," he told reporters Wednesday, hours after winning the menlsquo;s halfpipe final at the Pyeongchang Winter Games for his third Olympic gold.Asked at a news conference if the allegations had tarnished his reputation, White said: "I donlsquo;t think so. I am who I am and Ilsquo;m proud of who I am. And my friends love me and vouch for me, and I think that stands on its own."Further questions on the subject were prevented by a moderator from US Ski and Snowboard.The lawsuit had been filed by a former female drummer of Whitelsquo;s rock band, the Bad Things, who claimed she had been sexually harassed. White denied the claim and the lawsuit was settled in May for an undisclosed amount.Meanwhile White said he could decide to take part in skateboarding at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, when it enters the programme for the first time."Ilsquo;ll have to make a hard decision," he said.White still wants to compete at the next Winter Games in Beijing, when he will be 35."To be at the top of snowboarding and then decide all of a sudden to let my competitors have two years of practice on me while I pursue skateboarding and then try to come back for the China Winter Olympics, which are still on my radar, itlsquo;s a big decision," he said."Itlsquo;s a lot to sacrifice to go through something like that so Ilsquo;m going to make that choice in time. It would mean the world to me to compete in skateboarding."