Lexington, KY – Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil and Chris Kappler of the United States moved up to Gold and Silver Medals respectively when the FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale), the international governing body for equestrian sport, officially disqualified Individual Gold Medalist Cian O’Connor of Ireland from the 2004 Olympic Games, due to a positive drug test on his horse Waterford Crystal.

Kappler, of Pittstown, New Jersey, initially tied with Pessoa for second place in Athens, then competed in a dramatic ride-off, earning him a Bronze Medal. Now that Kappler has been awarded the Silver, Marco Kutscher of Germany will take the Bronze.

The FEI Judicial Committee had disqualified O’Connor after a hearing earlier this year. On Friday, June 10th, the FEI received official notice that O’Connor waived his right to appeal and the medal standings will now be officially changed. The FEI has officially informed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which will arrange for the redistribution of medals in cooperation with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the National Olympic Committees of Brazil and Germany.

This also impacts the final standings in the team jumping competition at the Athens Olympic Games. The Irish Team, which finished in seventh place, is eliminated from competition. Therefore, the Italian team moves up to seventh and all other teams below move up one place.

“We congratulate Chris. His performance in Athens was outstanding on both an individual level and as part of our Silver Medal Team effort. Chris is an exceptional athlete and a gracious representative of his sport and country,” said John Long, Chief Executive Officer of the United States Equestrian Federation, the National Governing Body of Equestrian Sport.
~~~For more information, please contact Maria Partlow at (859) 225-6941 or via e-mail at [email protected], or contact Sarah Lane via e-mail at [email protected]. USEF press releases can be found on our website, www.usef.org.