Stacey Cross, UKAD Deputy Director of Legal and Regulatory Affairs: “UK Anti-Doping brought the case against Liam Cameron because cocaine was found in a sample he provided In-Competition. The applicable rules require Liam Cameron to establish how that cocaine got there. If he is unable to do that, the Anti-Doping Rules state that he faces a four-year ban from sport.

“An expert scientist with over 30 years’ experience of analysing samples said it was unlikely that the amount of cocaine found in the sample could have been caused by handling banknotes. In fact, he said that Liam Cameron would have needed to have consumed all the cocaine on up to 600 contaminated banknotes, in a very short period of time, to have that level of cocaine in his sample.

“The decision to give Liam Cameron a four-year ban was made by an independent Panel of three experts, not by UK Anti-Doping. The reason Liam Cameron gave to explain the cocaine in his sample was rejected by the Panel, who described it as ‘fanciful and implausible’. The independent Panel was therefore left with no alternative but to impose a four-year ban.

“Liam Cameron appealed this decision to a second independent judge (referred to in the decision as the Arbitrator), who upheld the original Panel’s decision. The judge said that anti-doping rules can appear harsh, particularly when they impose bans for substances that do not enhance sports performance. However, he explained that the rules are there to protect boxers and have to be applied to all athletes in the same way. For those interested in this case, UK Anti-Doping would encourage them to read the original and appeal decisions on their website.”

• This statement was sent via email to The Sports Integrity Initiative by UK Anti-Doping on 28 January 2020 in response to this article.