Swiss show jumpers Steve Guerdat and Alessandra Bichsel, whose horses tested positive for Prohibited Substances earlier this year, have been cleared of any wrongdoing following separate legal agreements with the Fédération Equestre Internationale. The agreements, in which the FEI accepts that the positives were caused by poppy seed contamination, have been independently approved by the FEI Tribunal.

Under the terms of the agreements, there are no sanctions against either Guerdat or Bichsel other than the automatic disqualification of the horses’ results at the events where they tested positive in accordance with Article 9 and Article 10.1.4 of the FEI Equine Anti-Doping Rules.

“I am delighted to have been completely cleared by the FEI and the FEI Tribunal suspicion of doping,” Guerdat said in a statement. “I am happy and satisfied that the evidence that I have presented to the officials confirms that all points of food contamination and the circumstances were exceptional and we riders have acted at all times in a professional and diligent manner, without any negligence or intentionality.

“For me, the welfare of my horses is the top priority in my daily work as a horse owner and rider. The judges’ decision is extremely important to me, as it means my horses and I can finally focus all our energy on training and competing.”

Guerdat acknowledged that the FEI’s fight for clean sport is essential, but calls into question the process. “We, the riders, have duties to perform due diligence in the fight against doping, for the welfare of the animals and in our own interest and that of equestrian sports,” Guerdat stated. “I fully agree with the line of the FEI in the fight against doping. However, it appears obvious now that those responsible will have to consider how to optimize the process and to create guidelines so that in the future, an unproven suspicion of fault of the rider, as in my case, with consequences for the reputation of the person they involve, will be made public.”

Samples taken from the horse Nino des Buissonnets, ridden by Guerdat, at the La Baule CSIO5* (France) on May 17 returned positive for the banned substances codeine and oripavine and the controlled medication substance morphine. Samples taken from the horse Nasa, also ridden by Guerdat, at the same event on May 16 returned positive for the banned substance codeine and the controlled medication substance morphine. The sample from Nasa also showed traces of oripavine, but not at a sufficiently high level for the testing laboratory to declare a positive. 

Samples taken from the horse Charivari KG, ridden by Bichsel, at the CSIO Young Riders in Deauville (France) on May 8 also returned positive for the same three substances, codeine, oripavine and morphine.

The two athletes, Guerdat and Bichsel, were notified of the positives by the FEI on July 20 and were both provisionally suspended. The three horses were also provisionally suspended for a two-month period.

The FEI Secretary General Sabrina Zeender acknowledged in July that the three positives were probably the result of contamination, but that standard procedure still had to be followed.

The FEI Tribunal agreed to lift the provisional suspensions on the two athletes on July 27, but requests for the lifting of the provisional suspensions on the horses were denied. The two-month provisional suspensions imposed on the horses expired on September 19.  

Both Guerdat and Bichsel had used the same feed supplier, and independent laboratory tests have proved that the feed was contaminated with poppy seeds. The FEI accepts that the circumstances of the cases were exceptional and that the presence of the three prohibited substances in the horses’ samples is consistent with poppy seed contamination. 

The FEI also accepts that the two athletes have demonstrated that they bear no fault or negligence and have also established how the banned substances entered the horses’ systems, the two requirements under the FEI Equine Anti-Doping Rules in order to have the two-year period of ineligibility and other sanctions eliminated.

Under the terms of the two agreements, neither of the athletes was required to appear before the FEI Tribunal for a hearing. However, the panel of FEI Tribunal Chair Erik Elstad (Norway), Pierre Ketterer (France) and Henrik Arle (Finland) was called upon to give its formal approval of the agreements in accordance with the Article 7.6.1 of the FEI Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations (EADCMRs).

The FEI Tribunal’s Final Decision states that it can find “no grounds to object to or disapprove the terms of the agreement and is satisfied the agreement constitutes a bona fide settlement” of the three cases. The cases are now closed.

“Both these athletes and the Swiss National Federation have worked in full cooperation with the FEI to secure these landmark agreements and it’s good to know that since the beginning of this year the FEI processes can facilitate such settlements so that athletes are able to clear their names when contamination is involved”, the FEI Secretary General said.

“Steve Guerdat and Alessandra Bichsel fully accepted that standard procedures had to be followed, but were able to provide proof that the positives were due to contamination, which meant that we could reach a settlement that was acceptable to both the FEI and to the FEI Tribunal.”

The agreements were reached in accordance with Article 7.6.1 of the EADCMRs, which was implemented on 1 January 2015 following approval at the 2014 FEI General Assembly. The provision, in line with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations, allows for an agreement between the Person Responsible and the FEI, and the agreements with Guerdat and Bichsel mark the first time that such a settlement has been reached under the new provision. 

The Final Decisions for the consolidated cases of the two horses Nino des Buissonnets and Nasa is available here, and the Final Decision for the horse Charivari KG is here.