THE LIFETIME ban on serious drug cheats receiving public funding will be maintained even if the British Olympic Association (BOA) are forced to scrap their own lifetime exclusion for doping offenders, the head of UK Sport has insisted.

The BOA are facing a battle in court after the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) ruled that their by-law violates the global code. Liz Nicholl, chief executive of funding body UK Sport, said the policy of a life ban on funding for any athlete who has received a two-year suspension for a doping offence will be maintained – whatever the outcome of the BOA case.

Nicholl said: “This a very different thing to the BOA by-law. This is a very clear rule we have which is entirely to do with public funding. The principle here is that public investment is a privilege and not a right, and a ban from public funding does not restrict an athlete plying their trade and competing at all events. It just means they cannot be a recipient of public funding via UK Sport.

“A two-year ban means a significant doping offence and it is then our funding principle kicks in, which is a lifetime ban from receiving public funding.”

Nicholl said giving public or lottery cash to athletes who had been found guilty of serious doping offences would undermine the whole process of providing funding for Olympic sports.

The BOA are due to receive the reasons for Wada ruling their by-law as being non-compliant with the anti-doping code later this week. Once those findings have been reviewed, an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne is almost certain, with a decision expected in around three months’ time.

Most involved in anti-doping expect the decision to go against the BOA, which would open the way for cyclist David Millar, sprinter Dwain Chambers and shot-putter Carl Myerscough to compete at the London Games.