The European individual bronze medal winning FEI dressage pony Tim tested positive to medication at the 2008 European Pony Championships in Avenches, Switzerland, July 27, 2008. Tim's urine tested positive to lidocaine
, a Medication Class A prohibited substance. Rider Elin Aspnäs from Sweden was notified by the FEI of the positive test result three months after the event took place, whereas the organization normally notifies the riders after three weeks.
"Normally it takes three weeks, but in this case the FEI notified after almost three months. This delay has had many consequences because much has happened during these months – sponsor contracts, nominations to honours and of course immense interest from media and the public," Elin's mother Johanna Aspnas told Eurodressage.
Elin is preliminarily suspended from all competitions during the investigation.
The Aspnäs family presented their case at a hearing at the FEI bureau in Lausanne in November 2008. They showed the FEI that the only substance used on the pony wasArnika Gel, batch No 57. Arnika Gel (qualifying period of 0 hours) is a substance which is allowed by the FEI.
The Swedish Equestrian Federation requested that the contents of the bottle used on Tim have been analyzed and it proved to contain lidocaine. The Swedish Equestrian Federation has also had another bottle of Arnika Gel tested. The supplier delivered the bottle of the same batch No 57 but in that sample no lidocaine was found.
The Aspnas family is strongly suspecting fraud in the matter of Tim's positive test results. They believe that lidocaine has been maliciously put into the Arnika Gel bottle that was used by Elin at the 2008 European Pony Championships.
"Somebody unknown to us must have administered the substance as the analysis of the supplier´s batch No 57 did not show any trace of lidocaine," Aspnäs said.
This year the Aspnäs family has been exposed to thefts, threats, and harassment. This slanderous campaign against the Aspnas family started with the dismissal of the Swedish Pony dressage team Chef d´Equipe, directly after the international competition in Weert, Holland, in May 2008.
"Somebody assumed that Mats Aspnäs, Elin´s father, had requested the dismissal of the Chef d´Equipe, which is not correct," Aspnas stated. "Another person reported the Chef d´Equipe to the Swedish Equestrian Federation. After the dismissal, the Federation received a letter in which Mats Aspnäs was accused of having reported the Chef d´Equipe. The Federation answered this letter and clearly stated that there had been no involvement on the part of Mats Aspnäs. Unfortunately, the misunderstanding has been widely spread and caused our whole family a lot of unpleasantness"
The Aspnas family went to the police to get the fact on record that lidocaine was in Tim's bottle. They have also handed over several threatening letters they received over time. "Evidently, somebody wants to harm us," Johanna said. "We told the police everything that has happened to us this year and they are making enquiries. We also told them that some equipment has been stolen."
The Aspnas family is not repudiating the medication test result which shows the presence of prohibited medication of class A, which is not considered to be doping. "Even though Tim had this prohibited substance in his body during the European Championship and even though we had nothing to do with it, we must accept the fact," Aspnas explained.
Aspnas did, however, state to the FEI that it has made a mistake by informing them so late after the test was taken. According to the regulations this should have been done “promptly."
"We now know that the FEI had the result on August 19 and then by some mistake it remained there until October 29, when we were informed," Johanna said. "Although we must accept the test result, both we and other people have been severely damaged by this delay."
The FEI is currently handling the case but no decision has so far been made.
Photos copyrighted: Astrid Appels/Eurodressage
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