(Reuters) – Former British Cycling and Team Sky chief medical officer Richard Freeman has lost his appeal against a decision to permanently strike him off the medical register and now faces a UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) investigation.
Freeman, who was found guilty of ordering 30 sachets of banned testosterone for a rider in 2011, was struck off by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) from March 2021.
He is charged with two anti-doping rule violations – possession of prohibited substances and/or prohibited methods, and tampering or attempted tampering with any part of Doping Control – and remains provisionally suspended by UKAD.
The 63-year-old appealed against being struck off, denying he ordered Testogel “knowing or believing” it would be administered to an athlete to improve their performance.
However, on Monday Mr Justice Fordham from the High Court’s Manchester branch found that there was “nothing within the Tribunal’s approach which was wrong”.
Freeman’s legal team, JMW Solicitors, said they were “disappointed by the judgment of the High Court” to reject his appeal against the MPTS decision.
UKAD will now look to resume proceedings against Freeman, which were put on hold in June 2021 after his appeal.
“UKAD will be contacting the NADP (National Anti-Doping Panel) and Dr Freeman’s representatives with a view to resuming its proceedings against him,” it said in a statement.
NADP is the UK’s independent tribunal responsible for adjudicating anti-doping disputes in sport.
Freeman admitted 18 of the 22 charges against him, including buying banned testosterone, lying to UKAD and keeping irregular records. But he denied the main charge about the purpose of the Testogel order and appealed to the High Court to clear his name.
Freeman worked for British Cycling and Team Sky during a golden period of success between 2009 and 2017.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City, editing by Ken Ferris)
