for sportsday, but first a look at what else is coming up this evening on bbc news. theresa may rejects calls for a scottish independence referendum before brexit. we'll have the latest on the stand—off between westminster and holyrood. the newly re—elected dutch prime minister says the voters rejected the wrong kind of populism in this week's election. and thousands of school children across the uk have been taking part in the bbc‘s school report news day. we'll bring you the highlights at 8.30pm. that's all ahead on bbc news. now on bbc news it's time for sportsday. hello and welcome to sportsday, with me, will perry. the headlines this evening: a former british cyclist has told the bbc that he broke the sport's rules by secretly injecting himself with vitamins when riding for team sky. ruby walsh rides four winners on day three of the cheltenham festival, including victory on nichols canyon in the feature, the stayer‘s hurdle. and three and half years after his last international appearence, 34—year—old jermain defoe is called up to the england squad. hello and welcome to sportsday. live to the cheltenham festival shortly, but we start with cycling because a former british cyclist has told the bbc he broke the sport's rules by secretly injecting himself with vitamins when riding for team sky. josh edmondson says he admitted it to team sky in 2014, but that it was covered up. team sky say edmondson denied ever self—injecting, and they didn't report him because they were concerned about his mental state. our sports editor dan roan joins me now. dan, what more detail can you give us on this? well, these are truly remarkable revelations. this is a 24—year—old british cyclist who rode for team sky until 2014. he told us in the build—up toa sky until 2014. he told us in the build—up to a big race in september 2014 he was feeling the pressure and he desperately wanted to make the tea m he desperately wanted to make the team sky squad. he was selected and asa team sky squad. he was selected and as a result of that he felt the need to break cycling rules, there is a strict no need or policy that was brought in in 2011, it prohibits self administering even legal self administering eiféfi legit = self semifii’sterifie eeefi leeet = via injection. he went vitamins via injection. he went over to italy to purchase vitamins and intravenous equipment and came back to his home in france and he injected itself every other day for around a - broke the rules, such around a and broke the rules, such was his desperation to compete. this is what he had to say. it dawned on me while i was doing at how extreme it was. going to get it all is one it "vies {seine te'eef it sit is ere and then when you get back a thing and then when you get back a new mix it all in the files and then you put in a syringe and then there was a butterfly clip and a tourniquet to close the vein and cleaning everything to make sure it is perfectly clean and sterile and all of that, it is a whole process and then actually put in the needle in and then making suns there are no in and then making sure there are no bubbles in the butterfly clip because if there is air in that they can give you a heart attack and people die that way, so it is a very daunting thing to be doing, especiallyjust sat in your room in a foreign country alone at night, it isa very a foreign country alone at night, it is a very surreal thing to have to do. it is not something you would ta ke do. it is not something you would take lightly, it isjust doing it out of necessity really. he wasn't just injecting himself with vitamins, he also told me that he regularly took tramadol, that is a very pertinent and controversial painkiller, both uk anti—doping and the uk -- us painkiller, both uk anti—doping and the uk —— us anti—doping want it banned and they have asked the world anti—doping agency to prohibit its use but it is not currently banned. sky have said that none of its sky have said that nensehts use sky have said that hensehts use it but edmundson said he riders use it but edmundson said q; = on itand riders use it but edmundson said q; = on it and he used it depended on it and he used it regularly and as a result, he blames 1011 1 on the 1 «ni the suffering 1 en the suffering ffem 1 en the suffering frem what he it on the suffering from what he calls quite severe depression in 2013 and especially in 2014. this will be again more concern for team sky. no suggestion by the way that he —— they knew he was doing it. sky. no suggestion by the way that he -- they knew he was doing it. you also spoken to a former doctor have also spoken to a former doctor from the team, what is here to say? asked steve edmundson what i asked steve edmundson what team sky did in 2014 becausejosh edmundson ‘s equipment was discovered by another team sky rider who told the senior management of the team it and who told the senior management of the team - it and edmundson was the team about it and edmundson was confronted and steve peters told me that edmundson - using it but that edmundson denied using it but that edmundson denied using it but that it had clearly broken their that it had staa'ts' lara—ks? th f , , ~ rules, that it had ataa'ts' h'a—kah th f , , ~ rules, just the possession of that. they took the decision, because they cared about his mental well—being, they cared about the state he was m, they cared about the state he was in, and he denied he was using it, so in, and he denied he was using it, so they didn't feel there was any need to report it to the sports authorities. there is a slight discrepancy because edmundson says he confessed at the time and senior management at sky covered it up, something which they vehemently deny. none of us were comfortable, let's be honest, none of us were comfortable, but we had a lot of discussion around this but one thing we could say was that he violated oui’ we could say was that he violated our rules and we can say to him that he knew we specifically said no needles, no matter what it is for. he technically happened violated because he told us very clearly at the time that he hadn't done ejection because he didn't know how to use the needle. he said he had never used the needle or ever seen the needles before, this is what he told us the time and, as i say, you have to remember, without going into too much detail, i haven't got a person who is in a good place in front of me, i have a person who is breaking down. did people in senior management want to report it? we have a lot of debate and discussion, we due" have a lot of debate and discussion, we if“ just decide have a lot of debate and discussion, we dfdh’sjust decide not to say we didn'tjust decide not to say anything, that really did not 1li::élii'—i.: shasfisstsasa £1;jj—'"* — ”a .. a happen. damn, many thanks, more on happen-m- story on the bbc sport website. ruby walsh and ireland dominated day three of the cheltenham festival, with walsh riding four winners, including victory on nichol‘s canyon we can go live to the course, where the sun is setting on lizzie greenwood—hughes. lizzie, a nice quiet night in the local pubs and the bars for the irish. well, they deserve it, don't they? there was an a green sweet cake, six out of seven races today at cheltenham run by —— one by irish trainers. there is an amazing horse sale going on behind me. one has just sold for 170,000 euros, some serious horses here tonight. today has been about the irish, two men in particular, ruby mullins —— ruby walsh and willie mullins. let us ta ke walsh and willie mullins. let us take her look first of all at the ryanair chase, where they co mforta bly ryanair chase, where they comfortably won that grade one title.