LAUSANNE: A Qatari sheikh is among two equestrian riders who failed doping tests at an Olympic qualifier, risking the national team’s place in the Tokyo Games jumping lineup.
Sheikh Ali Al-Thani and Bassem Mohammed tested positive for cannabis metabolites at an Olympic qualifying event in Morocco in October, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) said Thursday.
Al-Thani was Qatar’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
The sheikh and his horse First Division placed sixth in a final jump-off round for individual jumping gold. Both riders competed in team jumping at Rio.
The FEI said cannabis is a prohibited substance under its anti-doping rules for riders, though neither is provisionally suspended during their disciplinary cases.
Cannabis is classed as a substance “more likely to have been consumed by an athlete for a purpose other than the enhancement of sport performance,” the governing body said. “Positive cases involving ‘specified substances’ can be handled with a greater degree of flexibility within the structure of the FEI Regulations.”
No timetable was given by the FEI to give disciplinary rulings. Any verdict could be challenged at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Qatari sheikh’s cannabis case risks Olympic equestrian place
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Qatari sheikh’s cannabis case risks Olympic equestrian place
- Al-Thani was Qatar’s flag bearer at opening ceremony of 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics
- FEI said cannabis is a prohibited substance under its anti-doping rules for riders
Fight week begins in Riyadh for Ring V: Night of the Samurai
- In Saturday’s main event at the Mohammed Abdu Arena, undisputed super bantamweight world champion Inoue defends his titles against Mexican challenger Picasso in a 12-round showdown
RIYADH: Fight week activities for Ring V: Night of the Samurai officially began on Tuesday at Boulevard City, launching the countdown to one of Riyadh Season 2025’s headline boxing events.
At the opening grand arrivals event at the Global Theater, several international fighters walked the red carpet, including Reito Tsutsumi, Leobardo Sanchez, Taiga Imanaga, Eridson Garcia, Willibaldo Garcia, Kenshiro Teraji, Junto Nakatani and Sebastian Hernandez, before the arrival of main-event fighters Naoya Inoue and Alan Picasso.
In Saturday’s main event at the Mohammed Abdu Arena, undisputed super bantamweight world champion Inoue defends his titles against Mexican challenger Picasso in a 12-round showdown.
The fight card features five bouts in total, including an IBF super flyweight world title contest between Mexico’s Garcia and Japan’s Teraji, as well as Nakatani’s debut at super bantamweight against unbeaten Mexican Hernandez.
Fight week continues on Wednesday with open workouts for fans and media, while the event will be broadcast globally on DAZN, with exclusive coverage in Japan on Lemino.
