FEI ENDURANCE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP- FEI JUDICIAL COMMITTEE DISMISSES POSITIVE MEDICATION CASE OF GOLD MEDALLIST

On 28 April 2005, the FEI Judicial Committee decided the positive medication
case concerning the horse Hachim and rider HH Sheik Hazza Bin Sultan Bin
Zayed Al Nahyan (UAE), who won the gold medal of the World Endurance
Championship in Dubai last January.

Analysis of the urine sample taken from Hachim, conducted by the associate
Laboratory of the FEI Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, Equine
Forensic Unit (UAE), revealed the presence of Methylprednisolone, which is a
prohibited substance according to FEI Rules.

A confirmatory analysis was requested by the Person Responsible (PR) and was
performed by the FEI approved central laboratory, Laboratoire des Courses
Hippiques, France, on 24 March 2005. This analysis confirmed the presence of
Methylprednisolone.

However the PR was not duly informed of the date and place of the
confirmatory analysis (B Sample) and was therefore unable to send a
witnessing analyst to the laboratory, despite having requested the
opportunity to be represented.

While noting the existence of two positive results, the Judicial Committee
nevertheless decided that the fact that the PR did not have the opportunity
to have a witness present at the confirmatory analysis compromised his
rights to such an extent that the results had to be disregarded. The
Judicial Committee cited several relevant decisions of the Court of
Arbitration for Sport in reaching its ruling, which terminates the
proceedings.

Consequently, the results of the FEI World Endurance Championship remain
unchanged as published on the FEI website. The FEI Secretariat will ensure
that HH Sheik Hazza Bin Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan will receive the Gold
medal and all relevant prizes won by him. The Judicial Committee is not
ordering a new Official Award Ceremony to be held.

Note to the editor:
Hachim, ridden by HH Sheik Hazza Bin Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (UAE) won
the FEI World Endurance Championship held in Dubai on 27 January 2005.

Metylprednisolone is an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid acting on the
locomotor system and is graded 3 by the Medication Sub-Committee of the FEI.
Under the FEI grading system, a substance is graded ?1? if it has a relative
high potential to affect the performance of the horse and is grade ?5? if it
has a relative low potential to affect the performance of the horse.

The Official Award Ceremony by the Organising Committee, who did not invite
HH Sheik Hazza Bin Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to receive his gold medal, is
the subject of a separate inquiry and may be examined by the Judicial
Committee at a later stage.

The list of prohibited substances for horses is published on the FEI website
www.horsesport.org section veterinary ? medication control. The FEI complete
legal procedure for positive medication cases is published in the section
legal ? legal procedure.

The full decision will be published today on the FEI website section
Legal/Judicial Committee