Olympic dreams - Boxers show how it should be done

THE fact that we have been here before — when Cian O’Connor was stripped of a gold medal in Athens four years ago because his horse tested positive for a banned sedative — does not make it any easier to accept the disappointment that another Irish horseman has been disqualified from the Olympics.

Though the ban is provisional it removed an Irish competitor from an Olympic final. Heartbreak on the cusp of realising an achievement that, despite everything, remains an ambition for every serious sportsperson in the world.

Tipperary’s Denis Lynch is one of four riders who were to take part in yesterday’s final in Hong Kong but could not do so because they were provisionally suspended by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) after doping/medication tests indicated a quantity of capsaicin in each horse.