Today the Court of Arbitration for Sport accepted the appeal of the National Olympic Committees of France, Great Britain and the United States on the Eventing competition of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

Consequently, France earns the team gold medal, Great Britain the silver, and the United States the bronze. Leslie Law of Great Britain is the new individual Olympic gold medal winner; Kim Severson of the United States wins the silver medal; Pippa Funnel of Great Britain wins the bronze medal.

The following is a statement from David O'Connor President of the United States Equestrian Federation :

The United States Equestrian Federation is satisfied with the decision made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and believes it is the correct outcome, maintaining the integrity of our sport. The entire affair is a very unfortunate situation for all the countries involved, but most especially for our athletes.

Everyone at the USEF feels badly for the German team and especially for Bettina Hoy, because no one wins in a situation such as this.

We are very appreciative of the support given us by the United States Olympic Committee who have made every effort to help us protect our athletes, and of the quick action by CAS in hearing this case and bringing it to a rapid resolution.

It is unfortunate that the situation escalated to this level, it should have been resolved as a field of play issue, which it originally was if the ruling by the Ground Jury had been upheld. It is our hope that as a result of this controversy the FEI (Federation Equestre International) will reevaluate how they will handle situations such as these in the future. A more open and inclusive appeals process could have avoided the controversy and dissatisfaction created by Wednesday evening’s events.

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