Poppy seeds cause of doping Olympic horse

Olympic champion Steve Guerdat andfellow Swiss rider Alessandra Bichselhave been cleared of intentionally doping their horses.

Poppy seeds

The FEI agreed the positive tests were caused by poppy seed contamination, and that the two riders demonstrated “no fault or negligence”.

Steve had just won the Grand Prix at the La Baule CSIO5* in France (17 May), when Nino des Buissonnets tested positive for the banned substances codeine and oripavine, and the controlled medication substance morphine.

Nasa, another of Steve’s top horses, also tested positive at the same event for codeine and morphine and there were very low traces of oripavine.

Suspended

Samples taken from the Charivari, ridden by Alessandra at the CSIOY (Young Riders) in Deauville, France (8 May), were positive for the same three substances.

Both riders and horses were both provisionally suspended, however the FEI tribunal agreed to lift the suspensions on the two athletes on 27 July.

Requests to lift the provisional suspensions on the horses were refused and they were banned from competing for two months.

Landmark agreement

Both riders used the same feed supplier, and independent laboratory tests proved the feed was contaminated with poppy seeds.

“Both these athletes and the Swiss National Federation have worked in full cooperation with the FEI to secure these landmark agreements and it’s good to know that since the beginning of this year the FEI processes can facilitate such settlements so that athletes are able to clear their names when contamination is involved”, said FEI secretary general Sabrina Zeender.