Athletics: Relay Hero Faces Ban From All Games

Mark Lewis-Francis could miss next year's Commonwealth Games after his positive drugs test for cannabis.

The Olympic gold medallist is automatically banned from the games in Melbourne in March under the rules of the English Commonwealth Games Federation and must now appeal to an independent panel to reverse the decision.

The sprinter, who anchored the British team to victory in the 4x100 metres relay in Athens last summer, tested positive at the European Indoor Championships in Madrid in March and was stripped of the silver medal he won there in the 60m.

"He'll have to have an appeal hearing," said Caroline Searle, spokeswoman for the ECGF. "They will have to look and decide whether it is a minor offence or more serious. Whether he is allowed to compete for England again will depend on the circumstances."

Lewis-Francis, 22, said he had ingested the drug as a result of passive smoking. His case is likely to be referred to the Sports Resolution Dispute Panel, headed by an independent Queen's Counsel, which would pass judgment.

The last case it heard was in 2002 on the eve of the Commonwealth Games in Manchester when it cleared the shot-putter Carl Myerscough to represent England despite having tested positive for a cocktail of banned anabolic steroids. He claimed he was a victim of a conspiracy.

Even if Lewis-Francis is allowed to compete in Melbourne he must go through the same process if he wants to represent Britain at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. As he was only warned for the offence, he is still free to compete and is set to run his first race of the season in Milan on June 1.