Dwain Chambers, with his Olympic dream in tatters after a judge rejected his legal challenge to a lifetime ban from the Games, woke this morning to a potential future of reality TV appearances to fund the quest to mend his battered reputation.

The British sprinter's turn on the steps of the High Court yesterday in front of a frenzied press scrum may just have been his last significant media moment, with his credibility in athletics as low as that of his comprehensively beaten legal team.

Jonathan Crystal, his QC, had said that Chambers would “walk into the sunset” if he failed to convince a court to grant him an injunction against the British Olympic Association (BOA) and its 16-year rule not to select athletes convicted of a serious drugs offence. Where the 30-year-old's sun is setting is unclear, although it will not be in Beijing, despite his status as the fastest man in Britain.

Mr Justice Mackay, irritated at being given only one night to consider his judgment because of the eleventh-hour challenge, said: “It would take a much better case to persuade me to overturn the status quo at this stage and compel his selection for the Games.”

For a man who has been vocal about the alleged injustice of the BOA's tough stance, Chambers was strangely succinct after a legal defeat against which he will not appeal. “The judge has made his decision,” he said, before dashing down a London alley to escape reporters. Perhaps he was in shock after the bookies had put him at 8-11 to win his case, or more likely he was saving his words for the tabloid that bought the exclusive.

Kevin Lueshing, his agent, said: “He's mentally and physically exhausted. He will get some rest and then make a decision about his future.”

That future is uncertain. Not a man of means, by his own admission, Chambers must repay $100,000 (about £50,000) of ill-gotten prize-money after he confessed to taking a cocktail of performance-enhancing drugs. At least he was spared a further £150,000 bill after the BOA declined to seek costs. “It's going to be difficult because few people have sympathy for him. He got caught out,” Max Clifford, the publicist, said. “I don't see a book deal, although he could make some money from I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! His best chance is in an evangelical role for athletics - going into schools to show how drugs destroyed his career.”

Retirement is an option, although Chambers could be a draw for athletics meetings keen on the associated publicity. He is free to run, having served his two-year suspension for testing positive for tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) in August 2003. On form, which helped him to register 10.00sec to win the British trials last weekend, he could even threaten for a medal at the European Championships or World Championships.

What he cannot do is represent Britain at the Olympics. The BOA's anti-doping stance, the toughest anywhere except Denmark and China, has been reinforced by the case. “No one is ever going to challenge it again - they would be scared off thinking that Chambers lost,” Adam Morallee, a solicitor at Mishcon de Reya, a London-based firm, said. “The BOA have won approval of their bylaw by the back door, without having it go through any judicial scrutiny. It's a great result for them.”

Had Chambers launched his legal challenge before July 3, a full hearing might have been possible before the BOA has to submit its named team to the IOC at midnight tonight. The outcome might have been different if the court had properly considered his restraint-of-trade argument. Seeking a last-minute injunction and holding the careers of Craig Pickering and Tyrone Edgar, the British sprinters, in the balance, did little to impress the judge, according to legal experts. Edgar and Pickering are certain to be picked today for the 100 metres, alongside Simeon Williamson.

Lord Moynihan, the BOA chairman, rued the waste of an “undoubted talent” but welcomed the outcome. “This reinforces the message that nobody found guilty of serious drug cheating offences should have the honour of wearing a Team GB vest,” he said.

His view was echoed by British athletes. Jo Pavey, a medal contender in the 10,000 metres, said: “If they had let him run in Beijing it would have sent out the wrong message to youngsters in the sport as we prepare to stage the Games in London in 2012.”

Mark Foster, who will swim in his fifth Olympics in Beijing, said: “I think the verdict is absolutely right and it is very sad that someone like Dwain, who has a great natural talent, chose to disqualify himself by taking drugs.”