Endurance doping: Time to draw a line in the desert sand?

People produce non demand to live rocket scientists to realise how easily a sport’s reputation tin give the sack live damaged past times drug scandals.

One exclusively has to await at cycling to reckon how repeated in addition to high-profile drug infractions tin give the sack trash a reputation. Once lost, recovering that reputation tin give the sack live a long in addition to hard process. The commercial harm tin give the sack also live considerable, equally sponsors tend to reckon lilliputian value inward supporting a tarnished sport.

The sport of endurance is facing only such an uncomfortable truth: that if  it does non get-go to brand serious inroads into drug infractions inward the Middle East, the sport’s reputation could good sustain lasting damage.

What’s more, several national federations conduct keep been airing their concerns to the FEI over the drug issues, alongside 1 European national federation fifty-fifty raising the spectre of a breakaway grouping to distance the wider sport from the ongoing problems.

For the terminal decade, endurance has been the fastest-growing FEI dependent acre inward price of the number of FEI events in addition to FEI riders in addition to horses. H5N1 span of years agone it surpassed dressage equally the second-largest FEI dependent acre in addition to in that place has fifty-fifty been verbalise of the FEI trying to gain Olympic condition for endurance.

But the disciplinary decisions from the FEI over the terminal viii years furnish a misfortunate litany of drug infractions inward endurance, alongside a solid bulk originating from the Middle East. It has been a blight on the growing condition of the sport.

The figures advise that endurance would genuinely conduct keep a cleaner slate than dressage, had it non been for the Middle East’s misfortunate record.

Despite the judicature decisions, endurance inward the portion has patently failed to elevator its deed and, to add together fifty-fifty to a greater extent than discomfort to the situation, several horses are linked to the stables of the wider Maktoum family.

The FEI is forthwith taking a dissimilar approach, alongside FEI President Princess Haya, whose married adult man is Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, ordering a round-table news nigh “areas of concern” inside the sport of endurance.

If 1 wonders nigh the bird of sensitivity to a greater extent than or less the subject, the press loose publish past times the FEI nigh the coming together is proof enough.

It is bordering on cryptic, heralding the planned “open discussion” nigh the province of affairs to, inward the words of Haya, “create a improve agreement of the specific occupation areas inside the sport in addition to to have eventual recommendations nigh potential farther steps that tin give the sack live undertaken”.

The planned coming together is clearly a reply to complaints from several European national federations over doping in addition to Equus caballus welfare issues inward endurance inward Middle Eastern nations.

Haya has asked British Equestrian Federation secretarial assistant full general Andrew Finding, a board fellow member of the European Equestrian Federation, to chair the round-table session.

The FEI has invited representatives from the Swiss in addition to United Arab Emirates national federations, in addition to the European Equestrian Federation, to attend the round-table discussion, which volition live held at FEI headquarters inward Lausanne, Switzerland, at a appointment to live confirmed.

Finding, good known for his diplomacy, volition conduct keep to role all those skills inward trying to brand the coming together a productive one.

The Swiss Equestrian Federation is understood to conduct keep led the accuse on the number over infractions inward the Middle East.

It wrote to FEI secretarial assistant full general Ingmar de Vos belatedly inward March on the Middle East issue.

Its president, Charles Trolliet, in addition to a board member, Peter Christen, set out the federation’s concerns inward a three-page letter, maxim they were writing on behalf of worried riders, trainers in addition to officials, equally good equally the public, media, in addition to animate beingness protection groups.

The pair said the Swiss federation could non conduct keep the province of affairs whatever longer, citing animate beingness welfare concerns in addition to the fairness of competitions.

The missive of the alphabet discussed drug concerns in addition to “tremendous” fracture rates.

It noted that, from 2010 to 2012, 41 endurance horses were establish to live positive for banned substances.

By comparison, the dependent acre of jumping, which had 31,064 registered horses – to a greater extent than than 3 times the number registered for endurance – recorded nineteen infringements inward the same period.

Notably, the missive of the alphabet said, 82.9 per cent of the cases inward endurance originated from the FEI’s zone VII – the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, in addition to Jordan.

The missive of the alphabet asserted that such breaches indicated “a clear disrespect of for certain riders, trainers in addition to veterinarians concerning the welfare of horses inward sport in addition to the FEI code of conduct”.

The federation called on the FEI to convey immediate measures to increase medication controls, specially inward nations known to conduct keep a high frequency of positive examination results.

It suggested a organization live introduced allowing for the temporary exclusion of nations alongside a poor doping record.

“This critical province of affairs … is of the highest potential explosive relevance,” the missive of the alphabet said, “putting at jeopardy the epitome of all other FEI equestrian disciplines.”

The Swiss raised the prospect of an international induce of riders, trainers in addition to officials beingness created who were no longer willing to conduct keep the situation.

The French federation had written to the FEI nigh the welfare issue, inward rather briefer terms, inward Oct terminal year.

National sports manager Pascal Dubois suggested if the number was non addressed, it threatened to tarnish the reputation of endurance.

It is understood that Belgian officials conduct keep also complained.

The whole number must live uncomfortable for Haya.

Her married adult man of late criminalized the role of anabolic steroids inward racehorses inward Dubai, next embarrassing revelations of the role of banned drugs inward to a greater extent than than a dozen horses at his Godolphin thoroughbred racing enterprise inward UK of Britain in addition to Northern Republic of Ireland past times trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni. The sheikh’s remarks clearly indicated his anger over the breaches inward Britain.

The sheikh’s dearest of horses is good known, but he is a busy man, in addition to understandably non hands-on inward the tending of his horses.

He pays people to create his racing in addition to endurance horses, in addition to inward 2009 received a six-month ban when his endurance mount, Tahhan, tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid, stanozolol.

Trainer Abdullah bin Huzaim, who admitted giving the Equus caballus drugs earlier the desert races at Bahrain in addition to Dubai, was handed a one-year ban.

Under FEI rules, the somebody riding the Equus caballus inward an trial is responsible for whatever drug breaches, although other back upwardly personnel may also live held accountable if circumstances dictate.

Endurance inward the Middle East paints an arguably ugly picture, alongside a tape set out inward FEI disciplinary cases. Readers could thence live forgiven for thinking a permissive mental attitude exists towards drug role inward endurance horses inward the region.

The incidence of Equus caballus fractures is only equally alarming, in addition to potentially only equally damaging.

One tin give the sack exclusively imagine how hard the round-table coming together could bear witness to be.

The FEI has made much of its Clean Sport first inward recent years.

Diplomacy volition become exclusively in addition to then far. The FEI needs to depict a business inward the desert sand over this issue, or jeopardy long-term harm to the reputation of endurance.

 

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