Michael O'Reilly banned for four years over positive test which denied him Rio 2016 place

Irish amateur Michael O'Reilly has been banned for four years after a failed drugs test on the eve of the 2016 Olympic Games.

Middleweight O'Reilly returned a positive test for banned substance methandienone and was provisionally suspended on the day the draws were made for the boxing tournaments in Rio de Janeiro.

The 24-year-old, whose ban will run until July 2020, is a previous gold medal winner at the European Games and clinched a bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships in Doha.

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O'Reilly appealed against the initial recommendation of a four-year ban, which was made by Sport Ireland, and claimed the offence had been unintentional.

His final hearing took place in December 2017 and the Irish Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel has now confirmed the ban will stand.

A statement read: "The panel has concluded that Mr O'Reilly has not discharged the burden of proving that his admitted anti-doping rule violation was not intentional.

"In those circumstances, the period of ineligibility which must be imposed is a period of four years under Article 10.1.1 of the Rules.

"The panel is not satisfied that there is any basis for reducing or eliminating that period of ineligibility on any grounds put forward on behalf of Mr O'Reilly."

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