The FEI announces today the results of the doping tests conducted at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games. HORSES Escudo Fox, the vaulting horse used by Sissi Jarz (AUT) and lunged by Julia Nöbauer (AUT), bronze medal in the Individual Female Vaulting event, was selected for sampling on 26 August 2006. Analysis of the horse’s initial urine sample revealed the presence of metabolites of acepromazine, a sedative. Acepromazine is a prohibited substance according to FEI rules, and is classified under “Medication Class A” in the FEI Equine Prohibited List of substances. A confirmatory (“B” sample) analysis was carried out at the request of the persons responsible, and confirmed the initial findings. Under the rules applicable in vaulting, the horse, vaulter and lunger form a competitive unit, the vaulter and lunger both bearing responsibility in such cases. The persons responsible have two weeks to submit a written explanation for these positive results to the FEI’s Investigative Body. A decision will be rendered by the FEI Judicial Committee further to completion of the investigation and submission of the case to a Panel of the Judicial Committee. A hearing may also be held, if one is requested by either party. The status of adjudication of cases can be tracked on the FEI website. A second positive result for a minor offence, not involving a medallist, resulted in a disqualification further to administrative proceedings (under which case details are not disclosed). These were the only positive results out of 76 horses tested. Background information The testing procedure in Aachen was organised as follows. Two FEI Medication Control Programme (MCP) testing veterinarians were officiating. Seventy-six horses were tested, including all the medal winners as well as some others selected by the ground jury and the testing veterinarians. Criteria for selection such as geographic representation, placing, whether or not the horse had been in the holding box during the horse inspection and its fitness were taken into consideration. As soon as the horses selected for testing left the competition arena, they were taken to the sampling stables. Urine and blood samples were collected from every horse under supervision from the testing officials. The packages containing the samples were sent to the central FEI laboratory, Laboratoire des Courses Hippiques, located in Verrières le Buisson near Paris, France. The samples were sent by DHL every other day. Once the samples had reached the laboratory, the “A” portion was used for initial testing. It was analysed for every possible prohibited substance. The cases in which prohibited substances were detected were reported to the FEI Veterinary Department which, in cooperation with the FEI Legal Department, examined the specifics and took the actions described above. If a confirmatory analysis of the “B” sample was requested, it was carried out according to the applicable rules. The Equine Prohibited List is part of the FEI Veterinary Regulations (10th edition, effective 1 June 2006) and can be found on the FEI website www.horsesport.org (direct link http://www.horsesport.org/mcp/PDFS/Prohibitedsubstances.pdf). The 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games were the first major international competition to take place after the new Equine Anti-Doping and Medication Control Rules came into effect on 1 June 2006. They can be found on the FEI website www.horsesport.org (direct link http://www.horsesport.org/mcp/PDFS/EADMCR-2006.pdf). HUMAN ATHLETES The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) acting through the German National Anti-Doping Agency carried out anti-doping tests on six riders. All six tests were negative.