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Racy Scotty Lago pictures get him the boot from Vancouver

Celebrity website TMZ has posted racy Scotty Lago pictures, causing trouble for the snowboarder, who had just won bronze Wednesday night – and was hoping for a White House invite.

By Staff writer / February 20, 2010

Scotty Lago addresses the media before the Winter Olympics began in Vancouver, British Columbia. Lago has agreed to leave Vancouver after racy pictures of him appeared online.

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Vancouver, British Columbia

Even before the Olympics began, halfpipe snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler acknowledged that she and her teammates have a way of getting noticed.

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"Everywhere you go, the people say, 'There go the snowboarders,' " she said. "They probably are a little jealous – we do have a lot of fun."

It appears that the celebrity tabloid website TMZ followed that lead, publishing racy Scotty Lago pictures. In an Olympics marked by an almost complete lack of controversy so far, the pictures are the first incident of note.

In response, bronze medal winner Lago has voluntarily agreed to leave Vancouver, ESPN reports.

The pictures, posted on TMZ, show a female fan kissing the bronze medal Lago won Wednesday as it dangles around his waist.

Neither Lago nor United States Olympic or snowboarding officials have yet made comment.

Four years ago at the Turin Olympics, freestyle aerials skier Jeret "Speedy" Peterson was also asked to leave the Olympics after he got involved in a bar fight with a friend in the mountain town of Sauze d'Oulx.

The incident in Vancouver is quite a reversal for Lago, who two days ago was elated at overcoming a reputation for underperforming in big events – and was angling for a visit to the White House with gold medal-winner Shaun White.

"To meet the president of the United States would be cool, go to the White House," White said at a post-event news conference.

Lago added: "Hit us up, Obama, if you're out there."

That invitation now looks doubtful.

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