Prohibited substance cases under FEI anti-doping rules

The FEI has announced an adverse analytical finding (AAF) involving an equine prohibited substance.

The case involves a *Banned Substance under the FEI’s Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations (EADCMRs).

The athlete and the trainer have been provisionally suspended from the date of notification until the FEI Tribunal renders its decision. The horse has been provisionally suspended for two months:

Horse: Shaddad (FEI ID 103BW28/UAE)

Person Responsible: Saeed Mohd Khalifa Al Mehairi (FEI ID 10082209/UAE)

Trainer: Ismail Mohd (FEI ID 10017691/UAE)

Event: CEI3* 160 - Euston Park (GBR), 13.07.2018

Prohibited Substance(s): Testosterone

Date of notification: 8 August 2018 Person Responsible, 13 August 2018 Trainer

Details on this case can be found here.

The FEI Tribunal has also issued a Final Decision in the case involving the prohibited substance Demecolcine after hearing that the presence of this substance can be the result of contamination due to the ingestion of the flower Colchicum Autumnale, commonly known as autumn crocus.

The case involves the horse Severly Hille (FEI ID 104DT50) ridden by Irish athlete Michael Kearins (FEI ID 10010499) at the CSI5* in Hamburg (GER) on 24-28 May 2017. Samples were taken from the horse on 27 May 2017.

Demecolcine, which was previously a Banned Substance on the FEI Equine Prohibited Substances List, was reclassified as a **Specified Substance on 1 January 2018.

The FEI Tribunal agreed that the athlete bore no fault or negligence for the rule violation. The horse and athlete are automatically disqualified from the event. The Tribunal ruled that no further sanctions should be imposed.

The athlete has 21 days to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) from the date of notification of the final decision (2 August 2018).

Further details on this case can be found here.

See previous cases involving Demecolcine here.

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.