British Olympian 'faces anti-doping investigation' after court documents filed in a US criminal case allege the athlete was 'provided with performance enhancing drugs'

A male British Olympic athlete has been accused of doping in court papers filed in the US.

The unnamed track-and-field star is said to have been given banned drugs by an American therapist before the Olympics in Tokyo two years ago. 

It is understood the Athletics Integrity Unit — the sport’s global drug busters — are now investigating and could soon bring charges. 

Earlier this year, Eric Lira, the therapist at the centre of the scandal, pleaded guilty to supplying banned substances to athletes and is awaiting sentencing. 

Lira became the first individual charged under the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, legislation named after the former Russian anti-doping official turned whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov. 

Violations of the law carry a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison. 

One of the athletes Lira supplied was Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare, who was banned from Tokyo 2020 after testing positive for human growth hormone.

The Beijing 2008 Olympic long jump silver medalist was disqualified from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics before the women's 100m semi-finals. 

Okagbare has been banned for 11 years after testing positive for human growth hormone (HGH) in an out-of-competition test in Slovakia before the Games, as well as failing to cooperate with the investigation.

An indictment filed in New York has implicated two others — one Brit and one from Switzerland. 

In the papers, it says: ‘Lira met with a third Olympic athlete who competed on behalf of the United Kingdom multiple times in the summer of 2021 for the purpose of providing him with PEDs.’

UK Athletics and UK Anti-Doping were approached for comment.