Olympic champion Cian O'Connor could be facing a two-year suspension from showjumping as well as the loss of his gold medal if it is proved there was a deliberate attempt to influence the performance of his horse Waterford Crystal in Athens.
O'Connor has requested that a confirmatory analysis be done on the B sample from his horse, and now has the option of selecting one of five laboratories from an International Equestrian Federation (FEI) list. He can also request a witnessing analyst to oversee the testing procedure.
If the B sample confirms the positive result from the A sample, O'Connor will be given the chance to offer reasons for the presence of a prohibited substance, but the automatic outcome of a second positive result is that he will be stripped of his medal. If the FEI judicial committee rules that there was also a deliberate attempt to enhance the performance of the horse, it can impose a suspension ranging from three months to two years.
Costs can also be awarded against the rider, from between 1,000 to 15,000 Swiss francs (€670 to €9,700). If the rider can prove that there was no attempt to influence the horse's performance, maximum costs can still be awarded against the rider, but the suspension would be reduced to between one and three months.
"We don't want these people to test positive. It's bad for the sport," Ms Mary Hunter of the FEI legal department told The Irish Times yesterday. "We're not against the riders, but we have to be fair to the other riders who are expecting us to do our job, which is controlling the sport. But if we've proved that it was positive, if we've done that properly and everything is in order, they have to be disqualified.
"The procedure we use is fair and it's been judged to be fair by both the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the World Anti-Doping Agency. We just try our best to be as fair as possible to all of the riders." But chances of the second sample providing a different result to the initial test are highly unlikely. "In nine years at the FEI I've only had one case where the B sample didn't confirm the A," FEI veterinary department head Dr Frits Sluyter said.
If the B sample also proves positive, O'Connor will be asked to pay almost €500 for the confirmatory analysis, in addition to whatever sanctions the FEI decides to impose. "We are not trying to catch people," Dr Sluyter said. "We are just trying to protect the welfare of the horse by keeping the sport as clean as possible. There are two points in this - the horse should not be competing while on medication that can influence its performance and, as a welfare issue, the horse should not be competing while on medication that could mask any unfitness of the horse."
If O'Connor does not agree with the FEI findings and opts to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, disqualification for a positive dope test would not be changed, but costs or the length of suspension could be reduced.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, the RDS disclosed yesterday that three official warnings had been issued to three showjumpers for the mistreatment of horses in the 2003 Dublin Horse Show. Mr Gerry McAuliffe, director of the show, said the warnings were issued in relation to "rapping" or other mistreatment which is strictly prohibited. He said the cases did not involve any international showjumpers or members of the Irish international team.