Equestrian: NZer opens up about doping scandal

A New Zealand official cleared of any wrongdoing after an Olympic doping incident in which the Norwegian equestrian team were stripped of a medal says she felt bullied during an appeal process.

Maxine Leigh, the steward-general for Equestrian Sport in New Zealand, was at the centre of the case in which top Norwegian showjumper Tony Hansen was disqualified after his horse tested positive for the banned pain relieving medication Capsaicin.

Hansen was disqualified from the 2008 Games, suspended for four and a half months and fined 3000 Swiss Franc ($3987), while the Norwegian team had to forfeit their bronze medal and were relegated to eighth place in the teams event.

Hansen subsequently launched an appeal questioning Leigh's credibility, which was referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

A decision released by CAS on December 4 last year cleared Leigh of any poor performance in the investigation process, rejecting all of the arguments put forward by Hansen.

After the 12-month process of the appeal, Leigh told NZ equestrian magazine The Bulletin it was a relief to have finally been cleared.

"I have found it difficult waiting all this time because I know my first statement was 100 per cent correct."

Leigh said there had been bullying connotations in the appeal, with Hansen's second statement appearing contrary to the initial one.

"I led a tremendous team and I just knew I hadn't done anything wrong but they did try to bully me into admitting I had done things wrong.

"In their appeal they commented on the fact I had old-looking hands and there was the implication there was a grey-haired old lady from down in the Antipodes who didn't have a clue what was going on."

The CAS findings made note of Leigh's "considerable experience", including several Olympic and World Games, and "the absence of any good reason why on this occasion she would have deviated from proper practice".

"I was highly delighted with the result and to me it vindicates my professionalism," Leigh said.

- NZPA