SUNDAY'S ruling in the Cian O'Connor case by the Judicial Committee of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) will probably come as something of a relief to sports administrators tasked with the duty of maintaining the fight against doping.

PROCEDURAL defects with the testing of the blood samples from Waterford Crystal are likely to form a crucial plank of showjumper Cian O’Connor’s defence when he appears before the Judicial Committee of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) on Sunday.

CIAN O’CONNOR is set to make his first competitive foray abroad since the Olympics and is relishing the prospect.