It has been a long time coming, but the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) has finally ruled that Camiro, the Norwegian horse ridden by Tony Andre Hansen during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing had been using a banned substance. The doping allegations have been ardently denied by everyone involved in Norway’s equestrian circle, but the Federation’s ruling is final.
As a result, Hansen will forfeit the bronze medal his team won in the equestrian event. The substance at the heart of the debate is capsaicin, a substance that has been classified as a “Medication Class A” rather than a more sinister “Doping” substance. This will come as no consolation, however, for Hansen and his team.
The ruling means that Hansen and the horse Camiro have been disqualified from the entire Olympics. They therefore must forfeit all medals, points and prize cash they won during the games. As a result, Norway’s results in both the Team Jumping and Individual events have been deemed null and void – a painful blow to the national team.
Hansen has 30 days to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), something he told the Norway Post he plans to do. Hansen’s lawyer was not surprised at the verdict, but feels the FEI’s documentation is dodgy and that they are not properly following WADA regulations.
