Athletes earn reprieve over drugs ban

Two British athletes who were exposed as drug cheats will be eligible to compete at the London Olympics when their lifetime bans are overturned today.

The sprinter Dwain Chambers and the cyclist David Millar will be available for selection when the British life bans for doping offenders are ruled unlawful.

The Court for Arbitration in Sport is expected to rule that the British Olympic Association's life bans for drug cheats do not comply with the World Anti-Doping Association code. The BOA is a signatory to the code and compelled to comply, which means Chambers and Millar – who were banned in 2003 and 2004, respectively – will be available for selection if they meet the qualifying standard. The BOA said it had no indication on which way the decision would go but it is understood that it will lobby for tougher changes to WADA's global code on doping.