LEAD: Britain to take doping issue to CAS

Dec 13, 2011, 15:24 GMT

Berlin - The British Olympic Association (BOA) is to take its case to be allowed to issue life-long Olympic bans to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recently told the BOA that their policy to issue life-long bans for athletes that had been banned for doping offences was not compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code.

The BOA said in a statement on Tuesday that they had decided to take the matter to CAS.

'The BOA and WADA have agreed that CAS is the appropriate forum for resolution of this matter, and both parties are seeking to arrange matters so that a decision can be made by CAS before the end of April 2012,' the statement said.

BOA said they were seeking clarity well in advance of the 2012 Olympic Games in London to ensure athletes knew where they stood.

'The BOA selection policy is a direct expression of the commitment British athletes have made to uphold the values of fair play, integrity and clean competition - values that are at the heart of Olympic sport,' BOA Chairman Lord Colin Moynihan is quoted as saying.

'It is a policy that reflects the culture and character of Team GB. The BOA and British Olympic athletes do not consider that those who have deliberately cheated should represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games.'

The BOA said that their decision to ban doping offenders from the Olympic Games was not a doping sanction, but a standard that determined whether an athlete is eligible for selection.

The BOA said that including doping offenders would damage team morale, atmosphere and cohesiveness.

Furthermore, they say, the selection policy has been in place for 11 years. 'Every athlete competing today who has deliberately taken prohibited substances has known about the BOA's selection policy and has nevertheless regarded this as a risk worth taking.

'The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has recently reaffirmed, in writing to the BOA, that it is entirely within the remit of every National Olympic Committee to determine the eligibility standards for its Olympic Team.'

CAS recently determined that the IOC's rule that prevented doping offender, who had served a minimum ban of six months, from competing at the next Olympics, was unenforceable.

Amongst the athletes who could launch a challenge for a place on the British Olympic team if CAS turns down the BOA, are sprinter Dwain Chambers, former cycling world champion David Millar and wrestler Jatinder Singh Rakhra.