Beijing 2008: Horses fail doping tests

(Daily News on http://www.parsnewz.com )
Four riders, including Norwegian bronze medallist Tony Andre Hansen, were suspended from the Olympic Games on Thursday (August 21) after their horses tested positive for the same banned substance.

The horses tested positive for capsaicin, a banned chilli derivative.

Hansen, on his horse Camiro, was a member of the Norwegian team that won bronze in the team jumping competition on Monday (August 18).

The federation has not decided whether the team should keep its medals. Switzerland finished fourth in the team competition behind the United States (gold) and Canada (silver).

Three other riders have also been suspended after their horses tested positive -- Denis Lynch of Ireland, Bernardo Alves of Brazil and Germany's Christian Ahlmann.

They are all show-jumpers and did not take part in the individual show jumping final on Thursday night.

Ireland's Lynch protested his innocence, saying he had only rubbed a pain reliever on his horse's lower back.

The substance capsaicin was previously not on the radar of anti-doping laboratories.

# SOUNDBITE: Damian McDonald, chief executive of horse sport Ireland

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Beijing
• 2008
• Horses
• fail
• doping
• tests
• Olympia
• Olympic
• rider

[NarniALover25]

Norway could't do that! It's a sabotage! I know it! Tony Andre Hansen (norway) is not that man who do it! *Mad*

[iimsdaler]

Tony Andre Hansen is and will always be the best Showjumping rider norway have seen today ;)

[SparkleGrl123]

They're testing the horses to see if they were given steroids or drugs

[briarameiss]

He is fkking drunk XD

[MissSosis]

jeg har møtt tony på ekte, han er absolutt IKKE den personen som ville dopet hestene sine!!!

[2101lovelilly]

@Skjonigutten there not really overdramatic, i mean i would preffer for horses to get drug tested because i wouldnt want any of them go through amounts of pain as some can do (there is one you put on the horses legs and it makes them jump hirer because its painful for them to touch a rail) there is a list out there that says what rider can or cant do, for the horses sake but i believe that it was sabotage im a huge fan of denis lynch and wanted him to win u cant call them dramatic

[Skjonigutten]

This is ridicolous! He did NOT drug that horse on purpose! He smeared some salve on Camiros hooves that would be good for it! Drug tests are majorly overdramatic or whatever! Vi heier på deg Tony!

[FreedomThunder]

@Misahp I'm Norwegian too! How could they do this!?

[Misahp]

I'am from Norway to, and I can't belive it..men de gjør det jo værre en det EGENTLIG er noen ganger da x) ;p

[xALJAxNADINOx]

shame on him.

dont they know how much it takes for the horse to give that little bit much?

[bridlelessgirl]

i think its wrong i think they gave th ehorses a proformance boost not dope!

[xDynamiteDiggyx]

it isnt bad dont worry! it makes horses more sensative - so he would have made the horse knock a jump in the warm-up, to jump bigger in the ring