FEI Tribunal issues Final Decisions in equine and human anti-doping cases

The FEI Tribunal has issued two Final Decisions in equine and human anti-doping cases.

A sample taken from the El Salvadoran athlete Paulo Sergio Mateo Santana Filho (FEI ID 10027830/ESA) on 9 June 2018 at the CSI5* Spruce Meadows (USA) returned positive for the Prohibited Substance Boldenone, a class S1 anabolic agent on the 2018 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.

The athlete was notified of the violation of the FEI’s Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes (ADRHA) on 11 July 2018 and was provisionally suspended from that date.

In its Final Decision of 25 April 2019, the FEI Tribunal imposed a four-year period of ineligibility on the athlete who appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). In its ruling announced earlier this month, the CAS upheld the FEI Tribunal Decision in its entirety, meaning the athlete remains ineligible until 10 July 2022.

The full Decision is available here.

The second case involves Saudi Arabian Endurance athlete and trainer Rafea Alamri (FEI ID 10102507/KSA) following three separate, consecutive anti-doping rule violations (ADRV).

Samples taken from the horse Walfan (FEI ID 104ZY27) at the CEI2* 120km in Al Ula (KSA) on 2 February 2019 tested positive for the Banned Substances Reserpine and Heptaminol, and the Controlled Medication Phenylbutazone and its metabolite Oxyphenbutazone.

Walfan was provisionally suspended as of 4 March, but on 9 March 2019, samples taken from the horse at the CEI1* 110 in Al Qaseem (KSA) also returned positive for Phenylbutazone and Oxyphenbutazone.

Rafea Alamri was both the athlete and registered trainer at the event in Al Ula, while in Al Qaseem, the horse was ridden by Ali Alhashem (FEI ID 10020258), with Rafea Alamri registered as the trainer. The FEI imposed a six-month suspension against the athlete Ali Alhashem in separate proceedings for the Equine Controlled Medication Rule violation.  

The third anti-doping rule violation for Rafea Alamri involves the horse Ankor Class (FEI ID 106JN74) at the CEI2* 120 in Al Ula (KSA) where he was the registered trainer. Samples taken from the horse on 1 February 2020 tested positive for Phenylbutazone and Oxyphenbutazone.

In its Final Decision, the FEI Tribunal suspended Rafea Alamri for seven and a half years for these three consecutive anti-doping violations. The ineligibility period begins as of the date of the Final Decision on 24 June 2021 as there was a breach of the original Provisional Suspension effective from 4 March 2019, meaning Alamri remains ineligible until 23 December 2028. He has been ordered to pay a fine of CHF 35,000 and to contribute CHF 4,000 towards costs incurred by the FEI during the proceedings.

The full Decision is available here.

Notes to Editors:

FEI Clean Sport - human athletes

The FEI is part of the collaborative worldwide movement for doping-free sport led by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The aim of this movement is to protect fair competition as well as athlete health and welfare.

WADA’s Prohibited List identifies the substances and methods prohibited in- and out-of-competition, and in particular sports. The substances and methods on the List are classified by different categories (e.g., steroids, stimulants, gene doping).

As a WADA Code Signatory, the FEI runs a testing programme for human athletes based on WADA’s List of Prohibited List of Substances and Methods and on the Code-compliant FEI Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes (ADRHA).

For further information, please consult the Clean Sport section of the FEI website here.

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.

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.

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