GB Winter Olympic medal hope banned for two years

Great Britain bobsleigh athlete Arran Gulliver will miss the 2026 Winter Olympics after being given a two-year doping ban.

The 28-year-old was provisionally suspended earlier this year by the International Testing Agency (ITA) when a drugs test returned an “adverse” result for the banned substance ostarine.

Ostarine, a similar substance to testosterone, can enhance performance by promoting lean muscle growth and improving strength.

The ITA said on Thursday that Gulliver did not challenge the finding and had “accepted” a two-year ban running until March 2027, with the agency adding that “the anti-doping rule violation was not intentional”.

Gulliver said he did not knowingly take the substance and that “extensive, controlled testing” had confirmed a supplement he consumed had been contaminated.

“With all the power of hindsight I would have done a few things differently and I will regret that for the rest of my life,” Gulliver told BBC Sport.

“I’ve been training really hard to get into a position of competing in the Olympics and to win a medal for Great Britain, to miss out on that is incredibly difficult.

“Now I know the length of the ban it’s a bit of a weight of my shoulders. I’m devastated to miss the Olympics but in terms of getting my head around it and being able to plan for the future it makes things a little bit easier.”

As well as the ban, Gulliver’s bronze that he earned in the four-man bobsleigh at the World Championships in March has been disqualified. The team result, however, stands.

He can appeal against the decision through the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) and UK Anti-Doping.

The British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association says it is “committed to the eradication of doping” and “fully supports” the ITA’s decision, adding the adverse result was down to “contamination”.

“We note Arran’s decision to accept the verdict handed down by the ITA and to take full responsibility for his actions and the consequences that have arisen as a result,” it said.

Gulliver, from Bewdley in Worcestershire, is a two-time World Championship medallist in the four-man bobsleigh and has won 12 World Cup medals in the British sled.