Minister orders sports doping probe as doctor denies allegations

Updated

A minister has ordered an urgent investigation following claims a British doctor was secretly filmed telling how he prescribed performance-enhancing drugs to sports stars.

The doctor, named by the Sunday Times as Dr Mark Bonar, claimed he treated more than 150 sportspeople with banned substances including EPO, human growth hormone and steroids, according to an investigation by the newspaper.

He allegedly said he treated footballers at Premier League clubs including Chelsea, Arsenal and Leicester City along with British Tour de France cyclists, tennis players and a British boxer.

However, there is no independent evidence the sports stars received any banned treatments and the football clubs have denied the claims.

And London-based Dr Bonar, 38, denied the allegations in a series of messages posted on what appears to be his Twitter account.

In one he wrote: "The @SundayTimesNews allegations are false and very misleading. I have never had a relationship with any premier football club or player."

He also denied prescribing hormone replacement therapy to sportsmen to enhance their performance, writing: "I have never prescribed Androgen therapy for the purpose of performance enhancement. I treat symptomatic men with low test levels."

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