Skip to main content
CNN.com International
The Web    CNN.com      Powered by
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ON TV
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
World Sport

Ireland stripped of Olympic medal


YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS
Ireland
Athens (Greece)
Olympics

DUBLIN, Republic of Ireland -- Ireland's only medalist at the 2004 Athens Games must hand back his Olympic showjumping gold after his horse, Waterford Crystal, tested positive for banned substances.

The sport's governing body found Cian O'Connor had breached its rules by letting fluphenazine and zuclophenthixol be in the horse's system.

But after a 12-hour hearing in Zurich, Switzerland on Sunday, a judicial committee of the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) said it was satisfied O'Connor had not been involved in a deliberate attempt to affect the performance of the horse.

O'Connor has always denied cheating, insisting the drugs -- which are used as sedatives and anti-psychotic medication in humans -- were given to the horse by his vet for therapeutic reasons.

He had told the FEI the substances were used as a mild sedative during hydrotherapy treatment on a minor fetlock injury.

"I am delighted that the judicial committee has accepted and affirmed that I was not involved in any deliberate attempt to affect the performance of my horse Waterford Crystal -- as I have always maintained," said O'Connor.

"While I am disappointed that a technical infraction has resulted in the loss of the gold medal for Ireland, I wish to re-emphasise again that neither I nor my vet James Sheeran have done anything wrong.

"To get to the Olympics was my aim for many years and I have never even contemplated doing anything which might jeopardise this goal."

The four-man committee disqualified the showjumper from the Athens Olympics, forcing him to forfeit his gold medal.

O'Connor has also been ordered to contribute to the cost of the hearing and is suspended from the sport for three months.

However, he has 30 days to appeal against the committee's ruling at the International Court of Arbitration for Sport.


Story Tools
Click Here to try 4 Free Trial Issues of Time! cover
Top Stories
Three share U.S. Open lead
Top Stories
EU 'crisis' after summit failure
 
 
 
 

CNN US
On CNN TV E-mail Services CNN Mobile CNN AvantGo CNNtext Ad info Preferences
SEARCH
   The Web    CNN.com     
Powered by
© 2005 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.
A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us.
external link
All external sites will open in a new browser.
CNN.com does not endorse external sites.
 Premium content icon Denotes premium content.