Dwain Chambers today lost his High Court bid to be allowed to compete at next month’s Olympic Games in Beijing.

Mr Justice Mackay refused to grant an injunction to temporarily suspend a lifetime ban on the sprinter competing at the Olympics.

The ban was imposed by the British Olympic Association (BOA) because of his self-confessed past use of performance-enhancing drugs.

The judge issued his ruling this morning after spending yesterday listening to the conflicting arguments over the athlete’s attempt to win an injunction suspending the bylaw before a full trial of the issues in March next year.

Chambers said he would not appeal the decision.

The verdict could bring about the end of Chambers' athletics career.

“If he does not go to Beijing, he walks into the sunset,” Jonathan Crystal, Chambers' barrister, said yesterday.

The judge returned to the London court this morning to give his ruling to a packed courtroom and the athlete himself.

He said: “Many people both inside and outside sport would see this bylaw as unlawful.

“In my judgment it would take a much better case than the claimant has presented to persuade me to overturn the status quo at this stage and compel his selection for the Games.”

During the hearing yesterday, the judge had commented to Jonathan Crystal, the barrister representing Chambers: “The reality is that you are saying ‘put him on the plane’.”

Crystal had told the judge that banning Chambers could deprive Britain of its best chance of winning a medal in the 100 metres in Beijing next month. Chambers had won the 100 metres at the British Olympic athletics trials in Birmingham on Saturday in 10 seconds.