Showjumping scandal - Tarnished medal should be returned
In a bizarre scenario reminiscent of a Dick Francis thriller, police forces in four countries Ireland, Britain, France and Switzerland are investigating the theft of a urine sample taken from Waterford Crystal, the horse Cian O'Connor won a gold medal with at the Olympic Games in Athens.
Allegedly four drugs were detected in Waterford Crystal, including a masking agent.
For the sake of the sport, Mr O'Connor and the Equestrian Federation of Ireland should lift the lid on this can of worms and publish the findings of laboratory tests on the horse.
Nothing could be more devastating for the industry than a rolling controversy where more questions are asked than answered. If reputations are to be salvaged, this mess must be cleared up once and for all.
Doping in athletes is outlawed. It cannot be tolerated in the equestrian world. Human psychotic drugs can be used either to sedate difficult horses or manipulate their performance.
Their effects on humans are well known as they are widely used in the treatment of psychiatric patients. Clearly, they should not be used to sedate horses.
When tests on Waterford Crystal's blood, known as the 'A' sample, proved positive it was in Mr O'Connor's interest to have the urine test, the 'B' sample, fully analysed in order to establish his innocence.
It is not clear if the case against the rider automatically collapses since the urine sample has gone missing. But the question is who stole it and why?
Any lingering hope that due process would help resolve this dark mystery now seems forlorn.
Yet, even though the case against him is falling apart, his career has already suffered irrevocable damage and though he continues to protest his innocence the lustre has gone from his gold medal.
Therefore, for his sake, there is a compelling urgency to get to the truth of this strange affair. In equestrian circles, the rumour machine is in overdrive and allegations are circulating of a jealous witch-hunt against Mr O'Connor. Bizarrely, it is even suggested his horse was deliberately got at in Athens with the aim of souring victory.
Adding to the sensational nature of the controversy, Mr O'Connor is the godson of Tony O'Reilly, one of Ireland's richest men, and his Olympic bid was sponsored by the O'Reilly-controlled Waterford Crystal group.
The security surrounding this case has been riddled with holes. It defies credulity that such a highly controversial urine sample could simply be stolen on its way from Paris to Newmarket for laboratory tests.
Equally astonishing was yesterday's break-in at the headquarters of the Irish equestrian body at Kill, Co Kildare.
The only inference to be drawn is that the theft, the break-in and the doping controversy are somehow linked.
If the image of Irish showjumping is to be cleaned up, it is crucial for the equestrian authorities here and in Switzerland to come clean about what is going on in the sport.
A full inquiry must be held into this sordid affair and the results made public.
In the heel of the hunt, the only course of action open to Mr O'Connor, and the most honourable thing to do, would be to hand back his Olympic medal of tarnished gold.
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