Olympic disqualification

A panel of the FEI — Federation Equestre Internationale — has disqualified a German rider in the 2008 Bejing Olympics for allowing his horse to be treated with a banned substance. This photo from FEI shows Marco Kutscher riding Cornet Obolensky, the horse and rider accused in the medication case.

The ruling would have stripped  Kutscher of any medals he won in Bejing, except he didn't win any. He did win a Bronze in Athens in 2004, but that wasn't taken from him. Nor was he suspended from future competition. More significant was the large fine assessed against him of 15,000 Swiss Francs, or nearly $10,000.

The decision was an indication of the FEI's ongoing effort to eliminate doping from international equine sports. To read the press release from the FEI, click HERE.