FEI Tribunal issues Final Decisions

The FEI Tribunal has issued its Final Decisions in four cases involving prohibited substances.

Three of the cases involve the substance Trometamol, a diuretic listed as a *Banned Substance under the FEI’s Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations (EADCMRs) but which is due to be reclassified as a Controlled Medication on 1 January 2019.

As a result of the pending reclassification, the athletes have each been handed down a six-month suspension and costs, as well as disqualification from all placings at the events at which the positive samples were collected. 

Argentinian athlete Daiana Chopita (FEI ID 10107027/ARG) rode the horse JC Cahuel (FEI ID 105UO02/UAE) at the CEI1* 100 in Abu Dhabi (UAE) on 9 December 2017 and HLP Gadafi (FEI ID 105AP09/UAE) at the CEI2* 120 in Abu Dhabi (UAE) on 23 December 2017. Samples from both horses tested positive for Trometamol. As Ms. Chopita was not notified of the first adverse analytical finding until after the second ride, the two charges were considered together as one single first violation.

The third Trometamol case involves the horse JLB Noche (FEI ID 104KB96/UAE) ridden by United Arab Emirates’ athlete Waad Nadim Bou Moghlbay (FEI ID 10113241) at the CEI2* 120 in Abu Dhabi (UAE) on 23 December 2017.

The two horses, HLP Gadafi and JLB Noche, are both trained by Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri (UAE), who has been provisionally suspended since the date of notification (10 January 2018). The case against him is still ongoing.

The fourth case involves the horse Concordia 7 (FEI ID 103ZZ97/AUT) competed by Austrian athlete Andreas Ruschitzka (FEI ID 10007005) at last year’s European Driving Championships in Gothenburg (SWE). Samples taken from the horse tested positive for the Banned Substance Oripavine, and the Controlled Medication substances Morphine and Codeine.

A sample taken on 20 April 2018 from a second horse, Solo Rygata XXI 17 (FEI ID 105WE35), driven by Mr Ruschitzka at the Czech CAI3* at Kladruby nad Labem, tested positive to Morphine. Oripavine, Morphine and Codeine are all are classified as Specified Substances** under the EADCMRs.

The athlete was able to prove that the presence of the three substances was due to contaminated feed and, as a result, the Tribunal found that he bore no fault or negligence for the rule violations. No period of ineligibility was imposed, but the athlete has been disqualified from the results with both horses.

The athletes have 21 days to appeal the decisions to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) from the dates of notification of the Final Decisions.

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.

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.