LONDON, May 25: World triathlon champion Tim Don was on Friday cleared to compete at next year's Beijing Olympics after overturning his lifetime Olympic ban. The 29-year-old was suspended for three months after missing three out-of-competition drugs tests, which automatically made him ineligible for future Games under British Olympic Association (BOA) rules.

Don appealed and the BOA's appeals panel restored his eligibility.

The athlete said: “I'm delighted with the news and can't thank everyone enough for all their support.

“I am relieved and happy to be reinstated and I can now concentrate 100 percent on gaining Team GB selection and performing well in Beijing.

“If something good can be taken from my case, then it has been to highlight the importance of the need to keep your UK Sport whereabouts information up to date.”

Under doping rules, athletes have to alert testers to their whereabouts for one hour a day, five days a week. The BOA appeals panel said there were “significant mitigating circumstances” in Don's case, especially with the first two missed tests, but also criticised him for being “indisputably careless and irresponsible” in missing the third.

“The final missed test had absolutely nothing to do with any deficiencies in the system. For that test Mr Don simply failed to be where he said he would be,” the panel said in a statement.

Don, son of former Premier League referee Philip Don, has returned to competition triathlon after his suspension expired on Christmas Day.

BOA chief executive Simon Clegg said: “The panel endorsed the BOA view that 'no advance notice' out-of-competition drug testing is a fundamental part of ensuring an effective fight against doping in sport.

“Athletes are required to keep their whereabouts information up to date and to ensure that they are available for testing. Mr Don failed to do so and was duly and properly sanctioned by the British Triathlon Association.

“Athletes should be aware that the BOA is likely to take a considerably less sympathetic view of anyone missing three 'no advance notice' out-of-competition tests in the future.

“Now that a number of high-profile cases have been considered there can be no excuse for athletes failing to realise the seriousness of missing such tests.”

John Steele, chief executive of the anti-doping agency UK Sport, said: “Athletes across all sports should take particular notice of the panel's warning that this decision does not set a precedent and the BOA's statement that any future cases may not be dealt with so sympathetically.”—AFP