German Equestrian Federation wants Olympic rider’s ban doubled

The German Equestrian Federation yesterday appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to at least double the competition ban imposed on its rider Christian Ahlmann.

The German rider’s horse, Cöster, tested positive for a banned substance, capsaicin, during the Olympic Games in August.

In October, Christian Ahlmann was given a four-month competition ban by the governing body of horse sport, the FEI (International Equestrian Federation).

The FEI’s disciplinary tribunal also fined the German rider about £1,000 and ordered him to pay around £785 costs — in what it described as a “medication case”.

But the German Equestrian Federation immediately said the sanctions were “too mild” and announced they would appeal.

That appeal — to the highest court in sport, the CAS — was officially lodged yesterday.

In a statement, CAS said: “The German Federation considers that Christian Ahlmann committed a doping violation rather than a medication rule violation.

“It requests that the rider be declared ineligible for a period of no less than eight months.”

The case will now be considered by the CAS, which generally takes around four months to deliver a final ruling.

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