London 2012 paracycling bronze medal winner James Brown has been given a two and a half year suspension for refusing a doping test in February of this year.

The Irishman was asked to give a sample at his UK home on February 2nd at 8 am in the morning, but he declined. He claimed that he had resigned from the squad one day previously. He also said that he was required to have a witness present as he is partially sighted, but that none was available.

He said that his partner could not act as a witness as she would otherwise have been late for work and her children would have been late for school.

According to the reasoned decision for the case, he said that he had made ‘a rash judgement which he now regretted.’ He could have faced a four year ban but with Sport Ireland saying he had been ‘extremely frank, forthcoming and honest,’ in his subsequent dealings with them, the full sanction wasn’t imposed.