Baxter's father named him after Alan Breck Stewart, a character from the Robert Louis Stevenson novel Kidnapped, who was a rebellious Highlander.
[15] On 1 March, as he was leaving the Olympic village to return home, Baxter was informed by the BOA that a sample he submitted had tested positive for a restricted substance.
[17] Baxter stated that he had not knowingly ingested, and that he would not make any further statement until the IOC's inquiry and disciplinary commissions ruled on his case.
[18] After the first sample tested positive, a disciplinary stage was expected to follow and the British Olympic Association offered their support.
[19] The International Olympic Committee (IOC) held a private two-day hearing in Lausanne, where Baxter would be able to speak, with the outcome expected the following week.
[20][21] On 21 March, Baxter held a press conference in London, where he offered an explanation that he believed a nasal inhaler that he had used had been the cause of the positive test.
The BOA formally asked the IOC to carry out a split test on Baxter's sample on the basis that there are two forms of the drug.
[25] The more advanced tests showed that the substance present was levomethamphetamine, a levorotary isomer of methamphetamine, which has no significant stimulant properties.
The International Ski Federation accepted his explanation and on 2 June announced they would require him to serve a ban of 3 months,[26][27] on the basis that this was a first offence of unintentionally using a prohibited substance.
[28] The British Ski and Snowboard Federation appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the case was heard on 30 September 2002.
[32][33] The vast majority of athletes named in Wade Exum's papers tested positive for stimulants found in over-the-counter cold medicines.
[34][35] The Baxter Appeal team headed by Professor Arnold Beckett, a former member of the IOC medical commission, thought Dr Catlin's position was "inconsistent".
[30][36] The CAS judgement found that "The panel is not without sympathy for Mr Baxter, who appears to be a sincere and honest man who did not intend to obtain a competitive advantage in the race.
[41] While his form never quite reached the same heights as they did in Salt Lake City, Alain Baxter remained the highest ranked and most recognisable male alpine skier in the UK.
[42] In 2008, facing ongoing difficulties for funding, he posed naked for photographer Trevor Yerbury to produce a "tastefully nude" calendar.
[50] In May 2021, GB Snowsport announced that Baxter was to join the men's Alpine World Cup Squad, having been appointed as a high performance coach for the team.
[57] Baxter made his debut on a track bike racing at Manchester Velodrome on 5 December 2009, in the 200m sprint in the Revolution series.
[58] He had hopes of racing in the Commonwealth Games in 2010 in Dehli but was finding it difficult to get enough track time given his other commitments, including being part of the BBC's commentary team for the 2010 Winter Olympics.