Ireland's Olympic Medal Hopes Suffer A Big Blow As Cian O'Connor Loses Appeal

Ireland won't have a showjumping team at the 2016 Olympics after an appeal against the results of August's FEI European Jumping Championships was dismissed. Cian O'Connor and the team had appealed the results of the event after a steward ran out in front of O'Connor's horse, Good Luck, during his round.

O'Connor and Good Luck subsequently clipped the next fence, resulting in a penalty that directly forced Ireland out of the Olympics by a minuscule 0.380 points.

Given the nature of the incident, O'Connor and the Irish team were understandably furious at the decision to uphold the penalty. There appeal was brought to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but they too have ruled that the initial decision should stand thus leaving Ireland out of options and out of the Olympics.