O'Connor denies abuse of horses
Mr O'Connor said there was "absolutely no way" the horses were doped and sedatives were not used to calm horses that had been mistreated or suffered rapping.
"There was nothing sinister and there's nothing to hide," Mr O'Connor said.
Rapping, thought to be a common practice in equestrian sports, involves horses being hit across the legs to force them to clear high fences. It is believed horses can become severely sensitised from this and sedatives are administered to calm the animals. The practice is outlawed by the governing bodies of the sport.
Dope tests have revealed Mr O'Connor's horses Waterford Crystal and ABC Landliebe had traces of a sedative in their system while competing.
"I'm not going to throw my career away. I'm not into doping horses," the Olympic champion said. "People are putting out red herrings about me. I have been the most successful rider to come from nowhere to the top through hard work. Perhaps there are some jealous people out there."
Both Mr O'Connor and James Sheeran, vet to the Olympic champion's horses, totally refuted claims either of his horses suffered rapping.
Mr Sheeran said his animal welfare and management was of the highest standard.
"Cian's horse management is second to none ... he is ultra-humane," he said.
"He absolutely adores his horses and their welfare is not something that Cian has ever put in question".
Mr Sheeran said 10-year-old mare ABC Landliebe was given a sedative to treat back pain and not colic as had been reported. Waterford Crystal was treated with the same drug while undergoing hydrotherapy.
Mr O'Connor told RTÉ's Morning Ireland he was dumbfounded by the situation but wanted to clear up the matter publicly.
The 24-year-old, who has featured in 36 Irish Nations Cup teams, said he would suspend all Olympic engagements until the outcome of the 'B' test which was due within a month.
Mr O'Connor said he was told of the positive result of the test on Waterford Crystal, by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), last Thursday,
He said it was the same day he received the final sanction for ABC Landliebe from the Rome Event.
A: That was the understanding on Friday, after Mr O'Connor confirmed that Waterford Crystal, the horse he rode to Olympic gold, had failed a drugs test taken at the Games in Athens. However, on Sunday night, he revealed a second horse, ABC Landliebe, had tested positive for a prohibited substance at a showjumping event in Rome in May.
A: It's unclear. It had been suggested that he told of ABC Landliebe's failed test only because a newspaper was preparing to break the story yesterday. But Mr O'Connor has insisted that he came forward in both instances without prompting. "I wanted to put the story out there as it is," he said yesterday. "I've nothing to hide."
A: The EFI says it did not mention the Landliebe test in its statement on Friday because, at that stage, Mr O'Connor had chosen only to reveal the Waterford Crystal result.
EFI president Avril Doyle MEP yesterday said if the federation had its way, details of neither test would have been revealed until due process was served.
"It is the (EFI's) policy ... that the name of a horse in such cases is never released until all due process has been pursued," a statement later said.
A: No, according to Mr O'Connor. "Definitely not," he said yesterday.
A: Unknown. The international governing body, the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), will only say the horses tested positive for "prohibited substances." The EFI, its Irish affiliate will not discuss what these substances were, either.
Mr O'Connor says the substance involved is a sedative which was administered legally while the horses were out of competition. However, neither he nor his vet, James Sheeran, have so far revealed what the sedative is.
A: As part of a regimen to treat injuries. Mr Sheeran said it was essential the horses remained calm during the period of treatment, and mild sedatives were administered as "a route procedure".
In both cases, the sedatives were administered more than a month before the competitions in which the horses tested positive. It was expected the medication would have been out of each horse's system within a fortnight.
A: Apparently not. Mr Sheeran has said he is "amazed" traces of the sedatives were still evident more than a month later. This, he believes, throws up the argument that the tests are far too sensitive, picking up traces of medication that are irrelevant to a horse's performance.
A. If the initial test, known as the A-sample, is positive, riders can request a confirmatory analysis (B-sample) be carried out.
Mr O'Connor was notified of ABC Landliebe's positive test on July 30, but did not request a B-sample. Therefore, the FEI moved to sanction him.
On Thursday last, it notified Mr O'Connor that although it accepted his explanation for the failed test and would not suspend or ban him, it was stripping him of the three classes he won in the Rome event. Mr O'Connor can appeal the sanction if he so wishes, but the FEI now considers the case closed.
In the case of Waterford Crystal, his Olympic mount, Mr O'Connor is expected to request a B-sample. However, Mr Sheeran yesterday indicated this test was "just going to be a clarification".
A. Meaning the B-sample is likely to confirm the original test result.
A: Yes - although he can go the Court of Arbitration for Sport should that happen. The court is an institution independent of any sports organisation which attempts to settle sports-related disputes through arbitration or mediation.
