Cian O’Connor Olympic appeal decision not expected until 2016

Cian O’Connor was tight-lipped last night as he flew out of Lausanne, Switzerland, following his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a bid to secure a place for the Irish show jumping team in next year’s Olympics.

Conscious of the sensitivities of the case, he instead issued a short statement, which said: “We had a full and complete hearing today with CAS in Lausanne. We now have to wait for the panel’s decision and we won’t be making any further comment until then.”

The Olympic bronze medalist had emerged from the day-long hearing in an appeal filed by himself and Horse Sport Ireland against the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) regarding the debacle at the European Championships in Aachen, Germany, last August that saw him impeded in his round by a member of the ground crew.

He had been on course for what looked like a clear round in the team contest, with his mount Good Luck making nothing of the tough course when, as he turned to the last line of fences, the ground crew member inexplicably ran in front of him, then leapt into a flowerbed in a bid to get out of the way.

O’Connor went on to become the only rider to knock the next fence, leaving Ireland on 25.96 penalties after three days of competition, just 0.38 penalties behind Spain, who earned the last of three Olympic places on offer.

The Meath-based rider was furious at the end of his round, gesticulating and pointing in the direction of the steward.

A protest was immediately lodged to the ground jury, who heard statements from O’Connor and Irish chef d’equipe Robert Splaine, and viewed footage of the incident, but it was rejected. A protest was then lodged with an appeals committee, but they upheld the finding of the ground jury.

The case could rest on whether the judges on the day should have instructed O’Connor to stop when the ground crew member impeded him.

In explaining the reason for rejecting the appeal in Aachen, the FEI said: “The protest was heard by the ground jury, who ruled that as the athlete had continued his round, they saw no reason to stop him by ringing the bell. Under Article 233.3 of the FEI Jumping Rules, the athlete had the opportunity to stop voluntarily due to unforeseen circumstances beyond his control, however he did not do so.”

CAS is not expected to deliver a decision until early in January, with a spokesperson saying: “Every CAS arbitration procedure is unique and whilst the CAS works as quickly as possible, there are factors beyond our control which can influence the time taken for a final decision to be issued.”

Last night, HSI chief executive Damian McDonald said: “I want to thank our legal team of senior counsel Martin Hayden, specialist CAS counsel David Casserly, and Joe Fitzpatrick and Eamon Carey from Smithwick Solicitors [Kilkenny].

“Along with Cian O’Connor and his legal team, they did a top-class job in preparing and presenting the case.”

Days before the hearing, HSI chairman Pat Wall said all they were seeking was fair play.

“To have a show jumping team at the Olympic Games is very important for Ireland.

“Our riders and their owners are doing a huge amount to promote Ireland as a world leader in the sport of show jumping.

“They went to the European Championships to pursue their Olympic dream.

“A freak incident occurred on the day which hindered our efforts. All we are looking for is fair play. We are convinced that if this incident had not happened, the Irish show jumping team would be going to the Olympics.”

Wall pointed out that the Irish eventing team had qualified for the Olympic Games, and “it would be a great boost to the whole sector to have two teams in Rio”.