Decision: UK Anti-Doping v Paul Bird

To optimise for archiving, the original image and related documents associated with this article have been removed.

On 14 April 2017, rally driver Paul Bird was selected  to provide an In-Competition test following the third stage of the British Trial and Rally Drivers Association BTRDA Gold star Rally Championships, however Mr Bird did not give a sample.  He was subsequently charged with an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) for Evading to submit to sample collection under Anti-Doping Rule (ADR) Article 2.3.

UKAD sought to establish that Mr Bird refused, without compelling justification, to submit to sample collection and that his conduct was intentional.  After assessing Mr Bird’s conduct, the NADP Tribunal consisting of Christopher Quinlan QC (Chairman), Lorraine Johnson, and Dr Tim Rogers determined the applicable period of Ineligibility to be imposed should be 8 years, as this was Mr Bird’s second Anti-Doping Rule Violation.

Mr Bird’s ban will run from 11 July 2018, the date of notification of the charge, until midnight on 10 July 2026.

The full NADP Decision can be accessed via the related links tab on the right-hand side.

The National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP) is the United Kingdom’s independent tribunal responsible for adjudicating anti-doping disputes in sport. It is operated by Sport Resolutions and is entirely independent of UK Anti-Doping, who are responsible for investigating, charging and prosecuting cases before the NADP.

You may also like

View All

Dallas judge prohibits NCAA and SEC from banning 41 athletes from returning to college sport for one more season

A Dallas judge has prohibited the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Southeastern Conference from banning a number of athletes, 3 of which are part of NFL rosters, from returning to college sport for one more season 

Read More

Abuse victims receive over $3 million from Australian Institute of Sport

The Australian Institute of Sport has collectively paid over $3 million to over 225 athletes who experienced abuse at Australia’s elite sports training centre

Read More

Sport Resolutions’ 2025/26 Annual Report is ready to view

Sport Resolutions’ 2025/26 Annual Report is now live, providing a transparent, comprehensive summary of Sport Resolutions’ activity and profile across the last financial year (1 April 2025 – 31 March 2026), including some of our most notable concluded national and international cases and their outcomes

Read More