‘Are they riding for themselves or their country?’
Many feel that the controversy that has surrounded the 25-year-old over his Olympic victory has brought the sport into disrepute and, accordingly hindered their means of making a living.
Their enmity, as such, may seem understandable and nobody could argue that show jumping has not been cast in a poor light.
But, the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) Judicial Committee acknowledged that the Meath-based rider “established he was not involved in a deliberate attempt to affect the performance of ” Waterford Crystal, who was found to have the drugs fluphenazine and zuclopenthixol in his system.
The rhetorical question that follows is: If the FEI are satisfied, should the riders be more professional and leave their personal differences at the arena entrance.
Going some way towards explaining the riders’ continued anger is that some feel what happened in Zurich last Sunday was a “whitewash” (to quote two riders). Definitely, there was compromise (though Judicial Committee member, Dubliner Philip O’Connor rejects this). This sees the FEI, which has come under critical focus in its handling of the case, avoids another trip to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), while O’Connor can claim vindication.
But a stand-off looms, as Irish show jumping prepares to put itself through the wringer again.
Not surprisingly, chairman of selectors Taylor Vard feels the best riders make the best team.
“If we select someone and a rider withdraws his name as a result of our selection, we will have to look at the situation, said the head of the International Affairs Committee this week. “But, if Cian is available for selection and Waterford Crystal shows the kind of form as seen at the Olympics, then it would be very hard not to pick him. If the riders say they can’t ride with Cian, then they are going to have to ask themselves: Are they riding for themselves or their country?
“I would have thought that losing the gold medal and the suspension was enough of a kick in the head for him.
“What opinion riders have is theirs. I do not want to be drawn into any argument between the riders and Cian. He has been through a lot and I know a lot of riders may still feel a certain amount of animosity towards him, but all I feel we should do now is let things settle. Let Cian get on with his suspension, let us get things up and running and when it comes to selecting, we will have to decide who is best for the team,” Vard said.
Aside from losing his gold medal, O’Connor will serve a three-month suspension.
Crucially, he can still appeal the decision - a move he has not ruled out - meaning the controversy could yet continue for a long time.
This week, however, his contemporaries reflected on seven months that saw unprecedented upheaval in the sport, the FEI decision and, more importantly, what the future holds.
A regular member of Ireland’s nations cup teams, Jessica Kürten, said: “For Irish sport, it is good to get it out of the papers. The fact he lost his medal is correct. We now have the correct gold medal winner in Rodrigo Pessoa [who will be upgraded from silver, when/if O’Connor returns his medal].
She reiterated she would not ride with O’Connor, but pointed out that she could miss the first two nations cup in the Samsung Super League, having qualified for this month’s World Cup finals in Las Vegas.
Another nations cup stalwart Billy Twomey was more circumspect.
“I do not want to comment because, in light of the whole situation and how detrimental it has been for the sport, I would rather not create further negative publicity,” said the Cheshire-based Corkman.
“I can’t say I’m happy with the way the whole situation has been dealt with in the past six months and what it has done to our sport, but all the riders want is to just get on with our job. We just want the best for our sport and country.”
He would not commit when asked if he had a problem appearing on a team with O’Connor: “I will have to give the whole thing some thought.”
Peter Charles, a critic of O’Connor in the past, said: “This controversy hasn’t helped show jumping and it is show jumping’s future that interests me, not the future of Cian O’Connor.”
“Ireland has many good riders, such as Billy Twomey, Clem McMahon and Cameron Hanley, and this controversy has affected all of them.
“But I’m glad the FEI has reached a decision and it is now out of the way.
“Whether the verdict is satisfactory remains to be seen, though,” said the Hampshire-based Charles, a double European championship winner.
Asked if he had any qualms about appearing on a team with O’Connor, he said: “I haven’t made a decision yet, but, I don’t think I will ride with him.”
Seven-times national show jumping champion Francis Connors summed up the FEI decision thus: “They took the medal off him and the horse had drugs in him and they had to do it.
“Show jumping will recover in time, but it would be hard to say it hasn’t done damage to it.”
The Waterford rider hoped closure was imminent.
“I appreciate that Cian has the right to appeal, but for the betterment of the sport, I would prefer to see this thing put to bed. The longer it goes on, makes it harder on everyone else and Sunday’s hearing has only brought it back into the public eye again.”
Meanwhile, we must wait to see how O’Connor convinced the FEI to accept his explanation for the drugs. Crucially, we must wait to for an answer as to why the FEI chose to dismiss the results of the analysis on the A blood sample, reconciling the tests on the A urine and B blood to determine a verdict (it says this is permitted under its rules). Yesterday, the Swiss-based body said it hoped to deliver a full explanation next week as to how it arrived at its verdict following a 12-hour hearing in Zurich Airport Conference Centre last Sunday. Once O’Connor receives this, he has 30 days to appeal to CAS.
Meanwhile, he is back in the saddle. Ironically, he is again on the hunt for the precious metal, competing in the Gold Tour in Arrezo, Italy.
JESSICA KÜRTEN booked her place in the World Cup finals when second in the last qualifier in Gothenburg, Sweden, last Sunday.
Even as Cian O’Connor faced his own pressures, Kürten proved there is life after drugs just days after the FEI dropped the case against her, when the B sample from Castle Forbes Libertina failed to support the positive A sample taken at Calgary last September.
The German-based rider and Quibell were only bettered by Robert Smith and Kalusha in a jump-off that saw Meredith Michael-Beerbaum (Shutterfly) and Lars Nieberg (Lucie) both swing right instead of left after the last jump to pick up four faults.
She was delighted to land the Vegas gamble.
“You need seven or eight shots to qualify. Nobody is ever given that chance, but at the beginning of the year, they [the selectors] gave it to me and it paid off,” she said.
The World Cup takes place on April 20-24.
DRESSAGE riders Aine Cafferkey and Bill Delahoyde have qualified for the European Young Riders/ Juniors Championships, reaching the standard at Addington in Buckinghamshire, last weekend.
Cafferkey, riding the former British team horse Najac, scored 61% in the FEI young riders test and 64% in both the young riders team and freestyle tests and Wicklow junior rider Delahoyde qualified by recording a score of 60% in the FEI junior individual test on Ashton. Bill also scored 61% in the junior freestyle test.
Young rider Ruth Chadwick just missed out on qualifying for the championships by a narrow margin in the FEI young rider individual test with Ravel. However, she will have another crack at making the team for the European’s in Barzago, Italy, when lining out in Saumur, France, at the end of this month.
If successful, she will join up with Cafferkey and Eileen Kapp, ensuring Ireland will send a team to the championships for the third year in a row. If Chadwick fails to qualify in Saumur, Cafferkey and Kapp will travel as individuals. Galway rider Kapp - who is based with dressage legend Ulla Salzgeber - qualified for Barzago by virtue of her performance at the European championships in Aarhus, Denmark, last year.
