Ahlmann banned from 2012 London Olympics

German Christian Ahlmann will not be allowed to compete at the 2012 London Olympics because of his eight-month ban for riding a doped horse at last year's Beijing Games.

Ahlmann was initially banned for four months by the International Equestrian Federation, but the penalty was doubled after the German federation appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The International Olympic Committee introduced a rule last year that bans athletes from the next Games if they receive a doping suspension of at least six months.

“As [Ahlmann] received a ban of more than 6 months, he will not be able to compete in the next Olympic Games in London,” the IOC said in a statement Friday.

Ahlmann's disqualification from the Beijing Games was formally confirmed by the IOC executive board at a meeting Thursday.

Germany was downgraded from its fifth-place finish in team jumping after Ahlmann's scores were wiped from the record.

He was prevented from taking part in the individual jumping final after his horse, Coster, tested positive for capsaicin, a banned pain reliever.

The IOC disqualified four other riders Thursday whose horses tested positive for banned substances in Hong Kong, where the Olympic equestrian events took place.

The FEI banned Bernardo Alves of Brazil for 3½ months and Denis Lynch of Ireland for three months after their horses tested positive for capsaicin.

Another Brazilian, Rodrigo Pessoa, was banned for 4½ months after his horse tested positive for the pain reliever nonivamide.

Courtney King of the United States was banned for one month because her horse Mythilus tested positive for the anti-inflammatory medication, felbinac. She lost her 13th-place finish in individual dressage and the U.S. dressage team was disqualified after placing fourth.