Swiss awarded 2008 Olympic showjumping team bronze

Friday, 11 December 2009 06:04

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) re-awarded Norway's team showjumping bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games to Switzerland on Wednesday, after Norwegian rider Tony Andre Hansen's doping ban was confirmed.

The IOC's move followed a ruling by the Court of Arbitration of Sport last week, confirming a ban on Hansen and dismissing the Norwegian rider's appeal against being stripped of an Olympic showjumping bronze medal.

"The Executive Board decided to disqualify rider Tony Andre Hansen from the individual jumping competition and team jumping competition events at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, as a consequence of the positive doping test," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said.

"The bronze medal from the team jumping competition will be redistributed to Switzerland," he added.

Hansen's was the last outstanding case of four riders at the 2008 Olympic Games who faced suspensions after their horses tested positive for the banned substance capsaicin, found in urine samples.

The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) disqualified him from competition for four-and-a-half months and fined him 3000 Swiss francs (1900 euros).

Capsaicin, which can be rubbed in as a lotion to ease pain, is a derivative of the chilli pepper plant.  However, when smeared on the horses they suffer a burning sensation if they fail to clear the showjump bars, the idea being that they will strain themselves to jump higher to avoid the burning.