New agreement to help avoid doping scandals

ON WHAT was described as “a seminal day” by the chairman of Horse Sport Ireland, Joe Walsh, officers of both the HSI and Olympic Council of Ireland signed an agreement designed to ensure there is no repeat of the doping embarrassments heaped on equestrianism and Irish sport in general at the last two Olympics.

Cian O’Connor won an individual gold medal in show-jumping at the 2004 Games in Athens but his horse Waterford Crystal subsequently failed a drugs test, and O’Connor was stripped of his medal.

Two years ago, Denis Lynch’s highly fancied Lantinus was withdrawn from competing on the morning of the individual show-jumping final at Beijing when it was found to have traces of a prohibited substance.

OCI president Pat Hickey launched a stinging attack on the HSI in the aftermath of the Lynch debacle, accusing equestrianism of dragging Irish sport “through the mud” and threatening to ban the equestrian team from future Olympics.

The mood has changed considerably in the interim though, with the HSI and OCI combining forces to set up a stringent set of criteria for qualification to ride at an international level and the Olympic Games.

“Today is a seminal day in equestrian sport” said Walsh at the official signing of the agreement in Dublin’s Burlington Hotel yesterday afternoon.

“It marks the culmination of the extensive work by the Olympic Council of Ireland and Horse Sport Ireland since the last Olympic Games. We resolved to put in place measures to seek to ensure that as far as was humanly possible, there would be no repeat of those incidents.”

Hickey, who is also president of the European Olympic Committees, has clearly been impressed by the HSI’s desire to avoid any further doping controversies.

He reminded those in attendance that Ireland hadn’t been the only country to encounter doping problems in equestrian sport, but promised that this new agreement would put Ireland “well ahead” of other countries.

“We realise how important the horse industry is in Ireland, it’s something that’s indigenous to us and we wouldn’t like it to go out that we’re singling out the sport in Ireland.

“The HSI has been very proactive and I know wearing my other hat as president of the EOC that none of the other countries are this far. We’re well ahead… I think we’re on the right road with this agreement.”

A disciplinary programme will be established in the wake of the agreement which will lay down what the implications will be for riders who fall foul of doping rules and a committee will be set up to impose any sanctions

The world governing body of equestrian sport, the FEI, drew up a detailed list of prohibited substances in April, having had what HSI chief executive, Damian McDonald described as “a much more generic list” up to that point. Riders will no longer be in any doubt as regards what is prohibited.

McDonald said all the riders had bought into the agreement, and revealed that the chef de mission of the Irish team for the London Olympics in 2012, Sonia O’Sullivan had spoken to them last week.

Riders will be required to maintain a log book detailing every medication given to a horse leading up to the Games. The rider will sign the log book which is then reviewed by the team veterinarian, Marcus Swail and it is only when everything is deemed in order that the rider will be considered for selection at international level.

The log book will mandatory for all riders from January 1 2012, but it will be compulsory for new riders from the beginning of next year.