An invitation for Olympic gold medallist Cian O'Connor to compete at a big pre-Christmas show in London has been rescinded, writes Grania Willis, Equestrian Correspondent.
Show director Mr Simon Brooks-Ward told The Irish Times yesterday that an invitation to compete at the five-day Olympia showjumping championships had been offered to O'Connor after his win in Athens, but the Irish rider would not now be jumping.
"We haven't heard from Cian O'Connor or the Irish federation, but we wouldn't issue an invitation to him for two reasons.
"Firstly, we have a full book of riders and, secondly, it wouldn't be appropriate given the circumstances as they are at this time. Rene Tebbel was in a similar situation when Olympia came up in 1999, and he wasn't invited."
German rider Rene Tebbel was banned for eight months when prohibited substances were found under his horse Percy's leg bandages at the Stuttgart show in November 1999. He successfully appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and, after winning his case on a technicality, the ban was lifted, but too late for Tebbel to get into Olympia.
The German federation held its own internal inquiry into the Tebbel case, eventually fining the rider less than €350 at the end of a year-long investigation.
Meanwhile, the positive result on Waterford Crystal's B blood sample has still not been confirmed by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), and it could be next week before any official confirmation comes through.
O'Connor issued a statement on Tuesday of last week declaring that the horse's B blood sample, sent for confirmatory analysis to a New York laboratory, had tested positive for two banned substances, fluphenazine and zuclopenthixol, but the FEI has not confirmed the result.
O'Connor said the results confirmed the drugs "had absolutely no therapeutic or performance-enhancing effect on my horse at the games themselves".
The FEI bureau, the federation's policy-making body headed by its president, HRH the Infanta Dona Pilar de Borbon of Spain, is meeting in Buenos Aires this week. Although that meeting is scheduled to be completed today, several high-ranking FEI personnel are not expected back at the Lausanne offices until the beginning of next week.
FEI secretary general Mr Bo Helander, who has instructed federation staff not to talk to the media, has been away from his desk since November 4th, and is not due back in the office in Switzerland until next Monday.
Dr Frits Sluyter, head of the FEI veterinary department, is also not expected back in Lausanne until next week.
Once official confirmation comes through from the FEI, O'Connor and his legal team have 10 days to prepare their defence, and can either request an oral hearing or send in written evidence.
The case will then come before a meeting of the FEI judicial committee, which can impose sanctions that include disqualification, a fine and suspension for breaches of anti-doping regulations.
However, it is believed that even if the judicial committee proceeds with the case it is likely to be thrown out on appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) due to procedural irregularities.