Although on the U.S. Bobsled team in 2002, he was disqualified from competing due to the presence of prohibited substances from food supplements, which he claimed were taken without his knowledge or intent.

[A] According to Voice of America, Jovanovic was described by U.S. Olympic team officials as "one of the most feared brakemen on the Bobsleigh World Cup circuit".

[8] His extensive experience and training helped earn him two golds and a silver medal at the 2005 Bobsleigh World Cup.

U.S. sled driver Todd Hays expressed regret that he could not bring home a medal for his team—Pavle Jovanovic, Steve Mesler and Brock Kreitzburg.

[10][11] Before testing positive, Jovanovic likely would have been the pusher for driver Todd Hays' sleigh—which won the silver medal in four-man in the 2002 Olympics.

Jovanovic was integral to the effort, however his nine-month suspension for testing positive for a banned steroid prevented him from contributing.

[8][12] Jovanovic was set to become a member of the United States bobsleigh in time for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

However, he failed a drug test on December 29, 2001, for ingesting Nitro Tech, a nutritional supplement he purchased at a General Nutrition Centers store in Salt Lake City eight days earlier that contained norandrostenedione, a derivative of androstenedione, a substance famously and controversially used by former Major League Baseball sluggers, e.g. Mark McGwire,[citation needed] and thereafter banned by the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency.

[8][13][14] In December 2001, Jovanovic had recommended the products to Curt Clausen, a two-time U.S. Olympic racewalker, who had chronic muscle fatigue from his 100-mile-a-week workouts.

[8] U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) chief Terry Madden, whose group oversees the domestic testing of Olympic athletes stated: [Our] message has never wavered.

[16] In an interview, team captain Todd Hays pulled items out of a bag and showcased them, referring to them as "illegal drugs" and as would "a lawyer setting up Exhibit A for the jury."

[18] "When athletes flunk strict drug tests, it can cost them plenty—missed competitions, lost salary, endorsement deals."

If the contamination involves a substance banned in competitive sports, a lawsuit may be filed..."[17] The suits allege that the tainted powders, pills and liquids "caused them to fail tests designed to spot cheaters.

"[18] He filed a lawsuit against Century Foods International in Wisconsin over his 2001 failed drug test in October 2005.

[E] When supplement companies are sued, they typically deny wrongdoing and counter that the players are blame shifting to hide their own guilt.

[6][21] Mesler said that Jovanovic was his "personal legend", and "the athlete that set the standard for focus, dedication, meticulousness, and drive" in his life and for the team.