Two members of Qatar's Tokyo Olympics showjumping team have tested positive for cannabis, the international equestrian federation (FEI) revealed on Friday.
The duo were part of the Qatari team that booked one of the two Tokyo team quota slots at the designated Olympic Jumping Qualifier for Group F (Africa & Middle East) in Rabat in October 2019.
FEI identified the athletes as Rio 2016 flag bearer and royal family member Sheikh Ali al-Thani and Bassem Mohammed, who both tested positive for Carboxy-THC, a metabolite of cannabis, which is a prohibited substance under the FEI's Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes (ADRHA).
The riders, however, have not been provisionally suspended, as Carboxy-THC is a 'Specified Substance' banned in competition under the 2019 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List. The FEI explained that a 'Specified Substance' is "more likely to have been consumed by an athlete for a purpose other than the enhancement of sport performance". "Positive cases involving Specified Substances can be handled with a greater degree of flexibility within the structure of the FEI regulations," it said. Al-Thani finished sixth in the individual event in Rio, while the Qatari jumping team came ninth.
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