Ukad to review support measures after Lizzy Banks left suicidal over doping case

UK Anti-Doping has promised to look at how it can “better support athletes” going through rule violation proceedings after cyclist Lizzy Banks told Telegraph Sport on Tuesday she was left suicidal during her 10-month battle with anti-doping authorities.

In what is a landmark case, Banks, 33, was eventually able to establish contamination as the source of two Adverse Analytical Findings which she returned last July.

Ukad consequently delivered a verdict of “No Fault or Negligence” and has not imposed a ban, although that may still be appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

It is the first time Ukad has ever issued a finding of No Fault or Negligence, and therefore zero sanction, when an athlete has not specifically identified the exact source of a contamination.

Banks told Telegraph Sport the fight to clear her name cost her more than £40,000, destroying her career, her livelihood and her mental health.

She described Wada and Ukad’s rules around contamination as “not fit for purpose”, adding she would be taking Wada to the European Court of Human Rights if they did not change them in light of her findings.

“Wada [World Anti-Doping Agency] have known there was something up here for years, and yet they’ve not done anything about it,” she said.

“Wada seem so preoccupied with defending the status quo that they can no longer see what is right and what is wrong, where the problems lie and how to fix them. Frankly I have been through hell and I seriously fear someone else in a similar position will end up taking their own life.”

In a statement on Tuesday, Ukad said it noted “concerning reports in the media and comments made by professional cyclist Ms Elizabeth Banks” adding it would be “looking into what it can do to better support athletes going through anti-doping rule violation proceedings”.

The statement added: “Ordinarily, Ukad would not comment on the facts of a specific case until the expiry of all appeal windows, at which time the Decision would be published in full in accordance with the reporting requirements of the UK Anti-Doping Rules.”

Banks was informed of her provisional suspension being lifted on April 11. The deadline for Wada or British Cycling to appeal that verdict closed last Friday, but it is understood Wada now has an extra 21 days.

Banks, though, said she could not wait any longer to tell her story. “For my own health, I cannot stay silent anymore,” she said. “I thought I was doing okay, but on 17th May, I had a complete meltdown. I need this to be over and in order to start that process, I have to make this public. I understand that by convention, if Wada want to appeal, they usually do it in the first 21 days. If Wada now decide to appeal, noting that the information is all in the public domain, you can draw your own conclusions about why that might be.”

A spokesperson for Wada told Telegraph Sport: “This is a complex and nuanced area of anti-doping in which Wada always strives to strike the right balance for the good of athletes and clean sport.

“I cannot comment specifically on the case you mention except to say that as in all cases, Wada will review it to ensure it has been dealt with appropriately under the rules and, as always, it reserves the right to take an appeal to the Court of Arbitration, as appropriate.”