Gold medal confusion as urine sample is stolen

CIAN O’CONNOR may be allowed to keep his Olympic Gold medal after a portion of the ‘B’ sample from his horse Waterford Crystal was stolen from a British laboratory.

In an incredible twist, it was revealed yesterday that a portion of the 'B' sample from O'Connor's horse went missing on October 21. It's believed that, while the blood sample was later taken to Hong Kong for testing, the urine sample has gone missing. The urine sample is central to O'Connor's case because it was the urine sample of the 'A' test which tested positive last month.

The Equestrian Federation of Ireland said last night that the case against O'Connor should now be thrown out if the full 'B' sample cannot be tested.

Police in Cambridge confirmed the portion of the 'B' sample was to have been delivered by a courier company to the Horse Racing Forensic Laboratory in Fordham on October 21, but that it never arrived.

The police were informed the sample was missing on October 26. Remarkably, Cian O'Connor's legal team were informed just last Friday that the 'B' sample had arrived in Hong Kong for testing.

There was confusion yesterday over whether any part of the 'B' sample had been tested, or if indeed it had been split into two portions.

Police in Cambridgeshire have launched an investigation, as have the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) and the police in Lausanne in Switzerland.

Cian O'Connor's solicitor, Andrew Coonan of Coonan Cawley, said the latest developments were "ludicrous" and "like a John Grisham story".

Mr Coonan said he was unaware that the sample had been split into two parts. "As recently as last Friday, I'm told it has gone to Hong Kong. To say that I'm a bit surprised is an understatement. I don't even know where to begin.

"They're talking about robberies, they're talking about portions of samples. I am absolutely staggered. This prompts a lot of questions. What else was taken? Is this related to a bigger picture? We're totally up in the air on this."

He said that he had never known a sample to be divided into two portions but allowed that it was "possible".

Cian O'Connor was believed to be at home in Ratoath in Co Meath last night, awaiting further developments.

He has maintained his innocence since an 'A' sample from Waterford Crystal tested positive for a banned substance.

EFI president Avril Doyle called for an urgent meeting with the FEI and said the latest revelations were "a sinister development". "There are far more questions than answers. I don't like what I'm hearing," she said.

International authorities have 21 days to commence testing. Avril Doyle said the time elapses on November 8. "That's the end of due process and it can't be tested after that," she said.

She claimed the sample was not marked with the name of the horse and instead had a code. She also questioned why none of the German samples also believed to be in the same consignment were taken. "To the best of my knowledge, the urine portion of sample 'B' is missing. The blood portion is not. It was in the urine portion of sample 'A' that a prohibited substance was found, and not in the blood portion."

Asked if Cian O'Connor should be allowed to keep his medal in light of the theft, she said: "If sample 'B' cannot be tested that is the case."

She added that O'Connor should be allowed "every opportunity" to prove that Waterford Crystal did not have a banned substance in its system when he rode to victory in Athens.