Jade Jones missed drugs test before Olympics due to 'very exceptional circumstances'

Welsh taekwondo icon Jade Jones is set to appear in her fourth Olympic Games after a doping scare where she missed a drug test.

The Olympic gold medallist avoided sanctions when it was found that she had not committed a significant fault in failing to provide a urine sample last December. Explaining the decision, UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) pointed to 'very exceptional circumstances' pertaining to confidential medical reasons, concluding that Jones was without "no fault or negligence for her refusal or failure to submit to her sample collection".

Jones has recounted feeling "stressed and panicked" on the day of the test due to an imminent competition. When a collector came early to her Manchester hotel room on December 1, Jones, dehydrated from pre-weigh-in training, signed a document stating she could not give a sample.

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Still, later the same day, she submitted a sample to another official, which tested negative. UKAD informed her of a provisional suspension on December 14.

A psychological assessment contributed to UKAD's conclusion of no wrongdoing, with the report from a consultant psychiatrist verifying that Jones' "decision to refuse or failure to provide a sample occurred as a direct result of her cognitive impairment," according to the Mirror, reports Wales Online.

Jones acknowledged the gravity of the situation in a statement, saying, "I understand and accept UKAD's decision. At the moment this started, I didn't grasp the situation I was in and what could happen."

She continued to reflect on her actions, acknowledging: "I