Cornet Obolensky faces Olympic doping scrutiny…

A report in German magazine Der Spiegel claims the metabolic-enhancer lactanase was given to one of the Germany team''s horses during the Equestrian Show-Jumping competition at the 2008 Olympic Games.

Eight months after the games finished, German rider Marco Kutscher said in the report, that appeared this Monday, that a syringe containing arnica and another containing lactanase was administered to his horse Cornet Obolensky during competition.

“It is correct, my horse was treated with Arnica and Lactanase. Whether that was declared, I don''t know,” Kutscher is quoted as saying in the report by German sports agency SID.

The German Equestrian Federation''s Chief veterinarian Michael Duee said the national governing body are now checking the case.

Der Spiegel says the treatment was approved by German veterinary surgeon Bjoern Nolting, but if the procedure was not officially announced then there could be serious consequences for both the Germany team and Kutscher.

The German team finished fifth in the competition.

In all, five horses taking part in the Olympic showjumping competition staged in Hong Kong last August tested positive for Capsaicin, which is normally rubbed in as a lotion to ease pain.

Capsaicin is a derivative of the chilli pepper plant and, when used improperly, can cause the horses to suffer a burning sensation if they fail to clear the showjump bars, thereby straining themselves to jump higher to avoid the pain.

German rider Christian Ahlmann, whose horse Coster failed a drugs test at the Beijing Olympics for Capsaicin, was last October handed a four-month ban by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI).

Ahlmann appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), who then increased his ban to eight months after upholding another appeal by the German equestrian federation calling for a tougher sanction.

He is now banned until April 20, 2009.