UK Anti-Doping wants Lizzie Armitstead decision explained

UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) is waiting to learn exactly why Lizzie Armitstead was cleared to race at the Rio Olympics after missing three drugs tests.

The British world road cycling champion was suspended on 11 July pending disciplinary action but appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).

She successfully argued the first of the tests should be declared void.

But Ukad claims Armitstead, 27, did not challenge the validity of the first two missed tests at the time.

In a statement, its chief executive Nicole Sapstead said it respected the outcome of the Cas hearing but wanted to know the "reasoned decision" why the first test failure was not upheld.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, Sapstead added: "I'd like to think that we are a reasonable organisation and we don't bring cases against athletes unless we see reason for doing so."

Armitstead was Britain's first medallist of London 2012 with silver in the road race and is one of the favourites for the same event in Rio on Sunday.

The world road cycling champion said she was looking forward to "putting this situation behind me" after what has been an "extremely difficult time for myself and my family".

The news of Armitstead's missed tests was revealed by the Daily Mail,which said she was supported by a legal team funded by British Cycling.

However, a British Cycling statement said: "We paid for legal advice on our own position because there were a number of considerations as she was going through the Olympic selection process and was a podium athlete.

"That legal advice was shared with Lizzie and her team. Lizzie herself funded the actual appeal to Cas."

Reaction

Great Britain's Nicole Cooke, the road race champion at Beijing 2008 said the drug-testing system "does allow for athletes to notify the testing authorities either by sending a text message or ringing a hotline up to one minute before the one-hour window opens and changing it".

Cooke and Armitstead, team-mates at the London Olympics, were involved in a fallout at the 2011 World Championships after Cooke rode on when Armitstead crashed.

"In 14 year of tests I have one recorded missed out of competition test," added Cooke. "Fair rules to be applied fairly, at all times, to all athletes."

Armistead's reprieve has also caused some concern amongst other Olympians.

British rower Zac Purchase, who won Olympic gold in 2008, said British Cycling and the Armistead camp were guilty of a "monumental cock-up".

He added on social media: "Imagine what we would be saying if she was Russian... #NotWorthIt #KeepSportClean."

Canadian three-time Olympian cross-country mountain biker Geoff Kabush also posted on social media. He said: "1st test understandable but I'd be hyper aware about missing 2nd. If I missed 2nd there is no chance I'd miss 3rd???

"So many questions. How is World Champ suspended for 3 weeks and no one knows?"

Had Armitstead been found to have missed three tests in less than a year, she would have violated the World Anti-Doping Agency's code and faced a ban of up to two years.

A statement on Armitstead's behalf said she was charged by Ukad on 11 July with three so-called 'whereabouts' failures, leading to a suspension pending disciplinary action.

• The first came at a World Cup event in Sweden on 20 August, 2015.
• The second was "an administrative failure" by her on 5 October.
• And the third was a missed test on 9 June this year following "an emergency change of plans due to a serious illness within her family".

Armitstead did not dispute the second two faults, but successfully appealed to Cas over the first missed test, which happened at a team hotel in Sweden.

She undertook in-competition testing the following day, as leader of the UCI Women Road World Cup.

"Cas ruled the Ukad doping control officer had not followed required procedures nor made reasonable attempts to locate Armitstead," the statement added.

"Cas also ruled that there was no negligence on Armitstead's part and that she had followed procedures according to the guidelines."