Thursday, April 2, 2009

Showjumper Ahlmann's ban extended

Christian Ahlmann
Ahlmann's horse was one of five to test positive for capsaicin in Beijing

German showjumper Christian Ahlmann has had his ban increased from four to eight months after his horse failed a drugs test at the Beijing Olympics.

The Court of Arbitration of Sport upheld an appeal by the German equestrian federation calling for a tougher sanction.

Ahlmann himself had appealed for a reduction in the sentence.

Ahlmann's horse, Coster, tested positive for capsaicin, a banned pain reliever derived from chili peppers.

Capsaicin is normally rubbed in as a lotion to ease pain.

However when used improperly on a horse's legs it can cause them to suffer a burning sensation if they fail to clear the showjump bars, thereby straining themselves to jump higher to avoid the pain.

At the time of the Olympics, the International Equestrian Federation classed capsaicin as both a medication for out-of-competition use as a pain reliever and as a doping substance if used to hyper-sensitize a horse's legs.

The FEI has since reclassified capsaicin as a doping substance with no legitimate medical uses.

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