Under the rules of the British Olympic Association (BOA) any competitor who is banned for a doping offence is ineligible to represent the country again in the Olympics, although they can appeal.

Equestrian's world governing body, the FEI, suspended Whitaker after his stallion Tackeray tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance at the Nations Cup in La Baule, France, on May 14.
 

A disciplinary tribunal, that met in London on September 11, ruled that Whitaker had been "negligent" and was responsible for a mistake which led to the stallion being fed food laced with altrenogest, which is found in the product Regumate.

Altrenogest is sometimes used for oestrus suppression in horses.
 

Mares are allowed to be treated with altrenogest at competitions, and Whitaker has applied in the past for his female rides to receive the medication.
 

In a statement read out to the tribunal his groom Cynthia Gurrie claimed that she did not remember mixing up the feeds but it was the only explanation for the positive test.
 

She said: "It seems inevitable that I either failed to wash the buckets properly or that I gave the wrong feed to the wrong horse on the first day or so that I arrived at the show."
 

She claimed to the FEI tribunal that the mix-up had happened because she had a very tiring journey to the show because, as a result of a storm in the Channel, the ferry was cancelled.

She no longer works for Whitaker.

Whitaker, 49, had tried to argue to the tribunal that the case should be downgraded to medication but this was not accepted and he will now be suspended until October 24.

Whitaker is among the most popular riders in Britain and it would be a huge blow to him if he were to miss London 2012.

BOA by-law 25 says: "The BOA strongly disapproves of doping in sport and does not regard it as appropriate that Team GB should include athletes or other individuals who have doped or been found guilty of a doping offence".
 
He made his debut in international competition at the age of just 16 and at 20 in 1980, he became the youngest winner of the famous Hickstead Derby.
 
Alongside his brother, he was a member of the British show jumping team that won the silver medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
 
He has been selected for three other Olympics but had to withdraw from last year's Games, when the equestrian events were held in Hong Kong, because of an injury to his horse Portofino.
 
Whitaker will have to appeal to an independent panel if he is to be allowed to compete in London and he will feel optimistic that he will be cleared.

In the last 12 years 25 British athletes have successfully appealed against the by-law.

In that time the by-law has been upheld on only three occasions.

Among the athletes who have had the ban lifted are Christine Ohuruogu, who after being cleared in 2007 went on to win the world and Olympic 400 metres titles.

Equestrian has been rocked by a series of doping scandals since last year's Olympics, when the events were held in Hong Kong.
 
Six riders, including Ireland's Denis Lynch, received suspensions from competing after their horses tested positive in Hong Kong.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected].


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