An Australian court yesterday reinstated German coach Winfried Leopold's accreditation to the world swimming championships, lifting a ban issued by swimming's world governing body FINA last week.

Perth Supreme Court judge Terry Walsh granted Leopold an interim injunction against FINA's decision.

FINA banned Leopold from the championships after he admitted, on arrival in Perth, that he had been involved in administering drugs to athletes under the former East German regime.

Leopold's lawyer argued in court that FINA's action went against its own rules because officials bypassed its anti-doping committee to make the decision.

The judge's ruling in Leopold's favour means the FINA doping committee will now have to meet in Perth to discuss the case.

But it is unclear whether the committee will make a decision on Leopold during the 10-day championships.

After the hearing, FINA honorary secretary Gunnar Werner said he had already given Leopold his accreditation back.

Werner said FINA would convene the antidoping panel in the next few days and it could still decide to bar Leopold from the championships, which began on Wednesday.

Leopold served a two-year suspension imposed by the German swimming federation in the early 1990s and has since said he is against doping.

Werner reportedly said earlier this week that the German coach had been penalised for embarrassing FINA rather than his past involvement in the East German doping system. "If he had kept his mouth (shut) here, there would be no reason to react," Werner was quoted as saying.