Welsh Athletics to hold inquiry over suspensions

Welsh 400m hurdler Rhys Williams is out of the Commonwealth Games after being suspended for an anti-doping violation.

The Team Wales athletics co-captain, 30, says he is "utterly devastated" and denies knowingly taking any banned substance.

"As a professional athlete, I have always supported and have been an advocate of clean sport," said Williams, a European champion in 2012.

The suspension followed a test at the Glasgow Grand Prix on 11 July.

Matt Newman, chief executive of Welsh Athletics, said Williams found out about the first positive test while at the Wales training camp in Portugal on Tuesday.

It follows a similar anti-doping violation for 800m athlete Gareth Warburton two weeks ago, which ruled him out of Team Wales for Glasgow 2014.

Newman has promised a full investigation alongside the anti-doping process to ensure the education programme for all Welsh athletes is good enough and to see if there are lessons to learn.