A Canadian showjumping athlete has tested positive to a metabolite of cocaine in a sample take at the Pan Am Games in August.
By Equestrian Life
A Canadian showjumping athlete has tested positive to a metabolite of cocaine in a sample take at the Pan Am Games in August.
This event was a team qualifier for the Tokyo Olympics, with quota places available to the three best ranked teams from Groups D (North America) and/or E (Central & South America), excluding the teams already qualified. The three teams that earned qualification at the event were Brazil, Mexico and Canada.
The athlete in question has been provisionally suspended pending a hearing. If following the hearing she is disqualified, then team Canada’s placing no longer counts — meaning they could lose their team slot in the showjumping at Tokyo.
FEI statement:
A Canadian Jumping athlete who tested positive for a prohibited substance at the Pan-American Games in Lima (PER) in August this year has been provisionally suspended by the FEI.
A sample taken from athlete Nicole Walker, who was a member of the fourth-placed Canadian team and also finished fourth with Falco Van Spieveld in the individual final, has tested positive for Benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, which is a prohibited substance under the FEI’s Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes (ADRHA). The sample was taken on 7 August, the day of the team final in Lima.
The athlete has the option to request a preliminary hearing before the FEI Tribunal to apply for the lifting of the Provisional Suspension.
Disqualification of the athlete is a separate proceedings that is part of the results management process dealt with by Panam Sports, the organiser of the Pan-American Games. The athlete has exercised her right to request a hearing before the Panam Sports Disciplinary Commission.
Once the Disciplinary Commission has made a decision on the disqualification of the athlete, and team Canada’s final placing, the FEI will be in a position to make any necessary reallocation of the Olympic quota place.
Details on this case can be found here.
In order to maintain the integrity of the ongoing legal process, the FEI will not comment further on this case at this time.
Source: FEI press release
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