British drug cheats ban ‘breaks doping code’

Sprinter Dwain Chambers and cyclist David Millar are a step closer to being able to compete at next summer’s London 2012 Games after the British Olympic Association’s lifetime ban for drugs cheats was deemed to violate the global anti-doping code.

The by-law, brought in 19 years ago, means the BOA have been declared “non-compliant” with the code by the World Anti-Doping Agency’s foundation board, which met in Montreal on Sunday.

The BOA will now aim to press ahead and test their legal right to maintain the ban, and take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne.

The BOA said in a statement the ruling “will bring clarity and closure” to their dispute with Wada over the lifetime ban.

After the International Olympic Committee lost a case over their ruling that drugs cheats should miss the next Games even if their ban has expired, Wada have insisted that the BOA remove the lifetime ban from their anti-doping rules.

The BOA added: “On behalf of the overwhelming majority of British athletes, we will vigorously defend any challenge to the selection policy which bans drug cheats from representing Team GB and we will publish the process we intend to follow in the near future.”

The BOA are keen to resolve the dispute as soon as possible so it does not interfere with the build-up to the London 2012 Games. They also would prefer to be involved in a test case with another organisation at CAS rather than take on a banned athlete, such as Chambers, in the High Court, because it would be less disruptive and considerably cheaper in terms of legal fees.

Wada president John Fahey defended the ruling. He said: “I’m very disappointed that it’s come to this. I believe that Wada has acted very properly from the moment that we got news of the Court of Arbitration for Sport decision [on the IOC case]. We asked them [the BOA] to consider their decision.”

The International Olympic Committee said they were confident the Wada ruling would not affect British athletes competing in London 2012.

Technically the BOA could be barred from the Games if they do not comply with the anti-doping code.

An IOC statement read: “It is important to make it clear that the anti-doping agency in the UK is fully compliant.

“The BOA has only been deemed non-compliant on a technicality rather than any unwillingness of the BOA to fight doping.”