The 33-year-old was suspended last week after his horses Nino des Buissonnets and Nasa both tested positive for banned substance codeine and the controlled medication substance morphine, with the former also testing positive for oripavine, at an event in the French town of La Baule in May.
Another Swiss rider, Alessandra Bichsel, also won her appeal against a provisional suspension and can also compete although her horse remains suspended.
The FEI said in a statement on Monday the probability was the substances had found their way into the horses systems due to contaminated feed.
“The FEI Tribunal's decision is mainly based on the scientific evidence presented by the persons responsible (the athletes) which suggests the likelihood of food contamination,” read the FEI's statement.
Guerdat, 33, who won bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games, will now be able to compete in the European Championships at Aachen, Germany, from August 19th-23rd.
However, neither of the horses who tested positive will be available to him as they remain suspended from competition for two months.
“While the FEI Tribunal lifted the provisional suspensions on the two riders, requests for the lifting of the provisional suspension on the three horses were denied,” read the FEI statement.
“The Tribunal found that irrespective of the source of the prohibited substances, banned substances had been found in the system of the horses and it is the FEI's established policy to impose a provisional suspension period of two months in such cases.”
However, the FEI made it clear that it was not the end of the affair.
“Today's (Monday) decisions purely ruled on the lifting of the provisional suspensions. Decisions on the merits of the cases will be made at a later stage.”
BAN
Swiss equestrians ride again after drugs appeal
Swiss rider Steve Guerdat, the individual show jumping gold medallist at the 2012 London Olympics, is free to compete again after the international equestrian federation (FEI) announced on Monday they would lift a provisional ban.
DRUGS
Germany should make cannabis available at pharmacies not ‘coffee shops’, says FDP boss
Germany's possible new government could well relax the country's strict cannabis laws. But FDP leader Christian Lindner says he doesn't want to go down the Netherlands route.
The Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) are set to engage in coalition talks in a bid to become the next German government. And the future of cannabis will likely be one of the topics to be thrashed out.
In drug policy, the three parties are not too far apart in their positions. So it’s possible that the drug could be decriminalised.
However, nothing is set in stone and the parties still haven’t come to a common line on the question of where and to what extent cannabis could be accessed.
The leader of the Liberal FDP, Christian Lindner, has now come out in favour of allowing cannabis products such as hashish to be sold in a controlled manner.
Consumers should be allowed “to purchase a quantity for their own use, for example, in a pharmacy after health education,” Lindner told a live broadcast on German daily Bild on Sunday.
Lindner said he was sceptical about the sale in “coffee shops” according to the Dutch model. “I am in favour of controlled distribution, and therefore health education must be able to take place,” he said.
READ MORE: Patients in Germany still face hurdles accessing medical marijuana
People in the Netherlands can access cannabis products in coffee shops under the country’s tolerant drugs policy. However coffee shops have to follow certain strict conditions. For instance they are not allowed to sell large quantities to an individual.
Lindner said his main aims were about “crime and health prevention” and not with “legalising a right to intoxication”.
It’s not clear if Lindner advocates for prescription-only cannabis for medical use, or an over-the-counter model.
The FDP previously said that they they are in favour of the creation of licensed shops. Their manifesto highlights the health benefits, tax windfalls and reallocation of police resources that legalisation would create.
The Green party also want licensed shops, as well as a whole new approach to drug control starting with the controlled legalisation of marijuana. The Greens state that “strict youth and user protection” would be the centre point of their legislation and hope to “pull the rug from under the black market”.
The SPD also want a reform of Germany’s prohibition stance – but are more cautious than the smaller parties on the legalisation aspect. They would like to initially set up pilot projects.
READ ALSO: Why Germany could be on the brink of legalising cannabis
Controversial topic
So far, the sale of cannabis is officially banned in Germany. Possession of cannabis is also currently illegal across the entire country. Those caught carrying the substance can face anything from a fine to five years in jail.
However, the justice system generally looks away if you are caught carry small quantities for personal use unless you have a previous conviction.
The definition of personal use differs from state to state, with Berlin having the most liberal rules and Bavaria the tightest.
It is estimated that around four million people regularly use cannabis in Germany.
Representatives of police unions in Germany have warned against legalisation. They argue that cannabis is an often trivialised drug that can lead to considerable health problems and social conflicts, especially among young people.
Oliver Malchow, from the GdP police union, said that “it doesn’t make any sense to legalise another dangerous drug on top of alcohol”.
The current Ministry of Health also continues to oppose the legalisation of cannabis, a spokesperson for Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) made clear. Cannabis is a dangerous substance and therefore legalisation is not advisable, the spokesman said.
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