Editorial: Doping Scandals Hit Equestrian Sports
Tuesday, October 26th, 2004
Editorial by Peter Abisheganaden
The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) has recently confirmed that seven international competition horses have been found to have a certain prohibited substance in their systems in recent months. These are in addition to the four cases that surfaced from the Athens Olympic Games.
The equestrian world was stunned when it was revealed that Showjumping Individual Gold medallist, Cian O'Connor for Ireland and Team Gold medallist for Germany, Ludger Beerbaum had both failed drug tests for their Olympic horses – casting doubts over the legitimacy of their Gold medals. Pending the results of the B samples taken at Athens, they stand to lose their gold medals. It would be the third and fourth redistributions of equestrian medals of the Athens Olympics, after the Bettina Hoy/Germany eventing fiasco.
In most cases the drugs have been found in showjumping horses. A disturbing number of these cases have related to low concentrations of sedatives. Now the FEI admits it has seen evidence that seems to support these claims: "These substances [sedatives] are being used in low dosages to improve the manageability of 'hot' horses and are therefore regarded as serious attempts to influence the performance of the horse by medication. Apparently many riders, trainers or vets were under the impression that horses treated in this way wouldn't test positive. This is not the case."
Of the positive tests from the medallists in Athens, only Waterford Crystal tested positive for a sedative, which his rider Cian O'Connor says must have lingered in the horse's system after being administered at an earlier hydrotherapy session.
O'Connor informed the Equestrian Federation of Ireland that on July 22, 2004, before the Olympic Games, his horse had incurred a mild fetlock injury, and after assessment, his vet, Mr. James Sheeran MVB MRCVS, had advised hydrotherapy treatment, which involves confinement in an enclosed hydrotherapy unit. They contend that since the horse was in peak fitness, it was feared that he may injure himself during the treatment, so the veterinary surgeon prescribed mild sedation.
The sedative was, in Mr. Sheeran's opinion, essential to prevent any further injury, was given to aid the welfare of the horse, and in no way to enhance its performance. O'Connor was told by his vet that the sedative drug would disperse from the horse’s system within 10 to 14 days, and was not in any case a factor that would influence performance.
It has now surfaced that O’Connor has another positive dope test, this time for his speed horse, Landliebe. It is also for the same sedative substance.
Beerbaum’s Olympic horse Goldfever tested positive for traces of a form of cortisone in his system. He was being treated for a wound in the fetlock, which had healed but re-opened in the dry sand of Athens. Although the groom claimed to have shown the ointment used to the team vet, it seems that no official permission was given by the FEI veterinary commission.
Beerbaum defended the use of the ointment: "It was no doping in my case, because the treatment didn't enhance Goldfever's performance. It was simply applied for the welfare of the horse."
He concedes, however, that there was a serious breakdown in communications between rider, groom, home vet and team vet, which resulted in the positive test. "I do feel responsible for the mistakes," he said. "But because I knew that our team vet had approved the treatment, I wasn't worried," Beerbaum explained.
For Bettina Hoy of Germany, her nightmare Olympics continued with a positive test for her eventing horse, Ringwood Cockatoo. Her Gold medals had already been awarded and withdrawn for the fiasco of crossing the starting line twice in the team medal showjumping round.
There seems to have been a similar degree of confusion as Beerbaum’s case surrounding the treatment of a swollen patch in Ringwood Cockatoo's saddle area. "I relied on the approval of our team vet Dr Carsten Weitkamp, who had inquired of the FEI vet responsible, whether the treatment was permissible," Hoy explained.
The German vet, Dr Weitkamp has offered his resignation.
The fourth Olympic horse that tested positive was Austrian eventing horse Foxy, ridden by Harald Riedl.
"The rule is very clear on this subject. From the moment that the presence of the banned substance is undeniable, disqualification seems inevitable," said Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) communications director Muriel Faienza.
Australia has its own doping scandal. Questions are being asked of the Equestrian Federation of Australia and Australian Olympic Council as to why they allowed Tim Amitrano to compete at the Olympics when it emerged that his horse, Mr Innocent had tested positive at CSIO Rotterdam in June. While there was just sufficient time to withdraw Amitrano from the games, they chose to allow him to take his place.
Equestrian sports can hardly be the IOC’s favourite sport in the light of the eventing medals fiasco, and now this doping scandal involving two Olympic gold medal horses. How this will impact on equestrian sports at future Olympics remains to be seen.
Equestrian sports has always been one of the most expensive sports to host at any Olympics. The organisers of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games are being petitioned by Hong Kong to move equestrian sports there. It is an attractive proposition only because of the huge costs involved in creating an Olympic equestrian complex. It will make equestrian sports at the 2008 Beijing Olympics a misnomer if it happens.
We should be thankful that it happens at all.
