Chambers limbering up to challenge Olympic ban
Published:
DWAIN Chambers has taken what appears to be the first step in his bid to challenge the Olympic ban imposed upon him by the British Olympic Association (BOA).
“We can confirm that Dwain Chambers will be taking proceedings to secure his eligibility/participation in the Olympic and national trials in Birmingham from July 11 to 13,” said Nick Collins, the athlete’s lawyer, in a statement.
That clearly indicates that if Chambers should win the 100 metres title there, he will take legal action against the BOA for the right to compete at the Beijing Games in August
A BOA bylaw automatically imposes lifetime bans upon athletes who commit anti-doping offences, and that applies to Chambers, who tested positive for tetra-hydrogestrinome (THG) in August 2003.
Chambers, after serving his two-year suspension, returned to competition in 2006 and quickly established himself as the country's top sprinter, winning a European championships 4x100metres gold medal in Gothenburg.
But the following year, for financial reasons, he pursued what was to become an unsuccessful career in American football with Hamburg.
After that he returned to athletics in January this year but after UK Athletics attempted to put his international career on hold he threatened legal action in an attempt to persuade it he was eligible to compete at that level.
Almost immediately Chambers proved himself as a world-class performer, winning the world indoors 60m silver medal in Valencia at the beginning of March.
The 30-year-old Londoner then indicated he was likely to challenge the BOA ruling either through the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) or in the High Court.
However, his plans were put on hold when he undertook a month’s trial with Castleford rugby league club but was unable to secure a contract with the Yorkshire side.
Now, if he is to compete in Beijing, it is inevitable his participation will be resolved in the High Court.
Chambers announcement came on an eventful day after meeting anti-drug czar John Scott at UK Sport headquarters in London yesterday.
Oscar Pistorius has won the right to again compete against able-bodied athletes and now faces another struggle to qualify for this summer’s Olympic Games.
Pistorius overturned an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ban, imposed after claims his prosthetic legs offered him a mechanical advantage, after he won his appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
