More doping tests for Olympic horses as equestrian federation seeks to restore reputation

GENEVA (AP)--The international equestrian federation has unveiled a strategy of increased testing and holding riders responsible as part of its fight against doping following the fiasco at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

"Athens was really a bad moment for the sport," FEI spokeswoman Malina Gueorguiev told The Associated Press April 11. "It was a big problem and it was very spectacular."

Three gold medalists were stripped of their titles four years ago.

The federation is eager to restore the sport's reputation when the three-day eventing, dressage and showjumping disciplines are staged in Hong Kong in August. Olympic equestrian events are being held at the Sha Tin race course because quarantine rules on mainland China do not meet international standards.

The governing body approved its anti-doping strategy of more tests and better communication with riders and veterinarians after a week of meetings at Interlaken, Switzerland.

"For human athletes, we are not facing any serious problems: for the horses every medication is forbidden in competition--that is the bottom line," Gueorguiev said.

Officials will take urine samples from the three leading horses in each discipline and conduct further random tests.

"We are looking at about 50 to 60 tests from 200 horses competing, and some of those horses will be tested multiple times if they are leading from the first day," Gueorguiev said.

At the last Olympics, Cian O'Connor of Ireland was stripped of his showjumping gold in a doping case that saw a sample lost or stolen from a laboratory in England.

Germany lost the team showjumping gold after Ludger Beerbaum's horse returned a positive test. His appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, failed.

In the most notorious Athens case, Bettina Hoy of Germany lost her three-day eventing gold for breaking the rules by crossing the start line twice during the showjumping segment. Hoy's horse also tested positive for an antihistamine in a case further complicated by claims it was administered by a vet mistakenly thought to have been authorized by the governing body.

After the Athens debacle, the equestrian federation appointed a task force that worked for a year to produce a new doping code.

It introduced a strict liability rule making riders responsible for any positive test by their horses and gave a clearer definition between doping and medication. Research was ordered into drug detection times so riders will know when permitted out-of-competition medications clear a horse's body.

"Horses do need treatment. Sometimes it might be that the horse is scratched, they apply some cream and there it is, a positive case. Riders have to be aware that this is very serious," Gueorguiev said.

Communication between the federation and competitors has been improved by a doping guide published in English, French, Spanish, Russian and Arabic.

The federation said the Sha Tin venue will make for convenient and expert testing.

"We are fortunate to be there because the Hong Kong Jockey Club has one of the very best testing laboratories in the world," Gueorguiev said.

The federation also agreed to suspend riders after a positive "A" sample, in compliance with the new World Anti-Doping Agency code, which takes effect in January 2009.

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Date: 5/1/08