Equestrian: Canadians may reinstate cocaine user

Canadian showjumper Eric Lamaze may be able to ride at the Olympic Games despite testing positive for cocaine.

Lamaze, who has already served a ban for cocaine use, tested positive to the banned drug late last month.

He was initially thrown out of the Canadian Olympics team, but an adjudicator has ruled Lamaze be reinstated because of ``exceptional circumstances''.

Those circumstances have not yet been detailed.

The Canadian Olympic Association was meeting on Tuesday night to decide whether Lamaze would be reinstated to their team. A spokesman said a decision would be announced on Wednesday.

Canada's Centre of Ethics in Sport has already objected to the adjudicator's ruling, saying it runs contrary to the nation's entire doping control policy.

The adjudicator Ed Ratushny in a summary of his decision said the reinstatement did not resolve whether Lamaze was eligible to compete, as that was the sole authority of the COA.

- NZPA