"Lizzy Banks advocates for a revamp of the antidoping system, standing firm on her stance following the confirmation of her ban"
Lizzy Banks, a former British pro cyclist, faced a two-year ban from the sport following the discovery of traces of the diuretic chlortalidone in a sample taken from her during an out-of-competition anti-doping control in May 2023.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed UK Anti-Doping (UKAD)'s decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in June 2024, after UKAD issued a "no fault or negligence" ruling and lifted Banks's suspension following a nine-month battle in April 2024.
Banks claims that during her CAS hearing in December 2024, WADA's lawyers were openly making jokes and laughing amongst themselves. The CAS ruling, which arrived in April 2025, upheld WADA's appeal and gave Banks a two-year ban from this date, minus the nine months she had served as a provisional suspension.
Under the World Anti-Doping Code and relevant anti-doping rules, athletes are subject to a strict liability principle, meaning they are responsible for any prohibited substance found in their bodies, regardless of intent or how it got there. When an athlete claims contamination, they must provide convincing and substantiated evidence to demonstrate the source and nature of the contamination. However, the burden of proof lies heavily on the athlete to show that the violation was unintentional and that they took reasonable steps to avoid ingestion.
Banks believes the rules need to be more specific on what "identifying the source of the positive test" entails and has called for the rules to be updated and the system to be overhauled. She feels that the system is "broken" and that she experienced "unequal treatment", "mischaracterisation" of her scientific arguments, and harsh application of case law.
Banks published a blog post in May last year detailing the psychological impact of the ordeal, describing it as "psychological torture" and a "torrid chapter" that has "sucked the life and happiness from me". She has been unable to work due to the two-year process.
Banks is still able to appeal CAS's ruling, but would have to do so before the Swiss Federal Court. British Cycling issued a statement expressing concern over the process Banks endured, and she is calling on anti-doping authorities and members of the sporting community to support her stance that "something has to change".
References:
- UKAD Statement: Lizzy Banks
- CAS Ruling: Lizzy Banks
- WADA Anti-Doping Rules 2025
- WADA Code Principles
- WADA: Strict Liability and Contamination
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