There is nothing quite like righteous indignation, particularly if it has absolutely nothing to do with you, writes Eileen Battersby
When Cian O'Connor and Waterford Crystal took Olympic gold, Ireland rejoiced. The national pleasure was heightened by its being a long belated first medal in an equestrian event.
After all, Irish horses have an international reputation. Ireland has enjoyed several boom periods of showjumping success, from Iris Kellet to Eddie Macken. O'Connor's victory was not a fluke; he is a Nations Cup regular and an established international rider with good horses.
True, Waterford Crystal is German-bred, but then many of our great international footballers weren't born here, either.
Now that O'Connor's Athens performance has been diminished by the dope test findings, he is being treated as a pariah, his famous grandfather and godfather are rather less visible, while some commentators have now taken to ridiculing showjumping. Funny, showjumping was a perfectly acceptable, legitimate sport when it produced an Olympic gold medal in the absence of any Irish success on the track or the boxing ring.
The Irish public would have been as happy with a medal in synchronised swimming, a pursuit which to the uninitiated, myself included, appears somewhat more eccentric than showjumping, an Olympic sport since 1900.
Those lab results have prompted comments suggesting that showjumping is not a sport.
Will the same armchair "experts" be equally dismissive of National Hunt racing just because some pundits have decided it is unnatural for horses to jump obstacles? It takes several years to make talented horses into world-class showjumpers, the best of whom are usually more than twice the age of their successful racing counterparts. Some jockeys have been involved in various types of misconduct and scandals yet always bounce back. Public opinion appears to be very indulgent of racing misdemeanours. Perhaps it's the money?
O'Connor, in the best interests of his horse and his own ambitions, did, through his vet, administer a human sedative which, through a technical ambiguity, is not illegal, but is regarded as performance-enhancing. With rules, there is only right and wrong.
Driving 31 miles an hour in a 30 m.p.h. zone is as much an offence as driving at 110 m.p.h. on the motorway.
Still, sedatives versus anabolic steroids, O'Connor's offence is not comparable to Ben Johnson in Seoul. The rider's story tells us more about our casual attitude to rules and regulations. He used a therapeutic sedative on an already fit, but temporarily injured, horse out of competition - but destined for the Olympics. Serious yet minor. To suggest that a world-class rider needed to sedate his long-time competition mount in order to be able ride him is farcical.
Why are equine urine samples considered comic? Such are the lows of what is laughingly called sport, all athletes, be they human or equine, are dope-tested. Sport and its legacy have been distorted by drug cheats. Cocaine, a recreational drug, is also a performance-enhancing substance, where might this leave elite soccer teams?
Cian O'Connor broke the rules. Simple cold remedies have cost many athletes medals and reputations. The real tragedy is the legion of cheats who defied the rules - and detection.