O'Connor B sample result may be known this week

A source close to the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) confirmed last night that results from Waterford Crystal's B …

A source close to the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) confirmed last night that results from Waterford Crystal's B blood sample will be released "almost immediately", possibly by the end of the week.

"We'll release the results as soon as we've got them", the source said. "I imagine as soon as the results are known we'll have to publish it because it'll be leaked within 10 minutes."

Confirmatory analysis of the gold medal-winning horse's sample is being carried out at the USA Equestrian Drug Testing and Research Laboratory in New York. Testing is expected to take up to three days.

Mr Chris Nattrass, the laboratory director, commenced testing the blood sample yesterday in the presence of Cian O'Connor's witnessing analyst, Dr Laurent Bigler. Once testing has been completed, details of the lab's findings will be faxed to the FEI offices in Lausanne.

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Confirmation of the findings will then be faxed to the Irish Federation and to Cian O'Connor's legal representative, solicitor Mr Andrew Coonan. An FEI statement on the results is also expected.

Meanwhile, gardaí are continuing to investigate the break-in at the Irish Federation (EFI) offices in Kill, Co Kildare, last Monday night. The National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, brought in to assist Naas detectives, has interviewed the manufacturers of the office door to ascertain whether it had been forced .