Prohibited substance cases under FEI anti-doping rules

The FEI has announced new adverse analytical findings (AAF) involving equine prohibited substances. The cases involve *Banned Substances under the FEI’s Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations (EADCMRs).

The three athletes and, in the third case, also the trainer have been provisionally suspended from the date of notification until the FEI Tribunal renders its decision. The horses have been provisionally suspended for two months from the date of notification.

Horse: Captain Future 3 (FEI ID 104OK61/AUT)
Person Responsible: Felix Koller (FEI ID 10067976/AUT)
Event: CSIO5*- NC EUD1 - St.Gallen (SUI), 30.05-02.06.2019
Prohibited Substance(s): Diisopropylamine
Date of Notification: 7 August 2019

Horse: Gelo Delle Schiave (FEI ID 104RW65/ITA)
Person Responsible: Pierluigi Sangiorgi (FEI ID 10025969/ITA)
Event: CDI-W – Lipica (SLO), 24-26.05.2019
Prohibited Substance(s): Aripiprazole
Date of Notification: 27 August 2019

Horse: Feline X (FEI ID 106LV53/GBR)
Person Responsible: Pane Singh Amar Singh (FEI ID 10048234/UAE)
Trainer: Fadhl Manea Saleh Al Mathil (FEI ID 10110945/UAE)
Event: CEI1* 80 - Euston Park (GBR), 16.06.2019
Prohibited Substance(s): Atenolol
Date of Notification: 26 August 2019

Details on these cases can be found here.

Separately, the FEI Tribunal has issued its Final Decisions in one case involving a Prohibited Substance and one horse abuse case.

The Prohibited Substance case involved athlete Saeed Mohd Khalifa Al Mehairi (FEI ID: 10082209/UAE), who competed with the horse Shaddad (FEI ID: 103BW28/UAE) at the CEI3* 160 in Euston Park (GBR), on 13 July 2018. Samples taken from the horse tested positive for the Banned Substance Testosterone. The athlete and the trainer Ismail Mohd (UAE, FEI ID: 10017691) were suspended for two years. The period of provisional suspension, effective from 8 August 2018 for the athlete and from 13 August 2018 for the trainer, has been credited against the period of ineligibility imposed in this decision. Therefore, the athlete will be ineligible until 7 August 2020 and the trainer until 12 August 2020.

Additionally, the athlete and trainer have each been fined CHF 7,500 and ordered to pay costs of CHF 2,500 each. The athlete/horse combination was disqualified from the event.

The Final Decision on this case can be found here.

The horse abuse case, which was opened by the FEI, followed a protest filed by the South African Equestrian Federation (RSA NF) involving the pony Sherwill Valerian. It was alleged that the athlete, Joris Vanspringel (FEI ID: 10004575/BEL), had committed horse abuse during a clinic he held at Fourways Riding Centre in South Africa. In its Final Decision, the FEI Tribunal ruled that the athlete had committed horse abuse and suspended him for nine months from the date of the Final Decision (15 August 2019). He was also fined CHF 3,000 and ordered to pay CHF 3,000 towards legal costs. 

The Final Decision on this case can be found here.

The parties can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within 21 days of receipt of the decisions (15 August 2019).

Notes to Editors:

FEI Equine Prohibited Substances

The FEI Prohibited Substances List is divided into two sections: Controlled Medication and *Banned Substances. Controlled Medication substances are those that are regularly used to treat horses, but which must have been cleared from the horse’s system by the time of competition. Banned (doping) Substances should never be found in the body of the horse and are prohibited at all times.

In the case of an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for a Banned Substance, the Person Responsible (PR) is automatically provisionally suspended from the date of notification (with the exception of certain cases involving a Prohibited Substance which is also a **Specified Substance). The horse is provisionally suspended for two months.

Information on all substances is available on the searchable FEI Equine Prohibited Substances Database.

**Specified Substances

The FEI introduced the concept of Specified Substances in 2016. Specified Substances should not in any way be considered less important or less dangerous than other Prohibited Substances (i.e. whether Banned or Controlled). Rather, they are simply substances which are more likely to have been ingested by horses for a purpose other than the enhancement of sport performance, for example, through a contaminated food substance. Positive cases involving Specified Substances can be handled with a greater degree of flexibility within the structure of the FEI Regulations.