Chambers Loses Olympic Appeal

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StooM

StooM

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British sprinter Dwain Chambers will not be able to run at the Olympics after he lost his attempt to overturn his lifetime ban.

The 30-year-old took his case to secure an injunction against the British Olympic Association by-law to the High Court, but the ruling went against him.

Under BOA rules, the sprinter was banned from future Games after testing positive for the steroid THG in 2003.

Chambers had argued that the ban was an unfair restraint of trade.

But Mr Justice Mackay refused to grant an injunction to temporarily suspend the lifetime ban before a full hearing in March next year.

Chambers still has the right of appeal against the decision, but the clock is against him with any hearing having to take place before the end of the Court's proceedings on Friday.

British selectors have to name their final squad for next month's Games in Beijing by Sunday at the very latest.

Chambers had already gained the necessary qualifying time for the 100m and comfortably won the British trials in a time of 10.00 seconds on Saturday.

More to follow.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/athletics/7503792.stm

Well, thats that then, I personally think he should be allowed to go as I think it does present a possibly complicated scenario re: drug tests, governing bodies and their policies that could be applied across other sports but Cest la vie - it is a difficult situation but one I feel that as usual the brits are cutting off their nose to spite their face

Any thoughts?
 
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I dont know. Part of me says hes a cheat and another thinks that he could have been given a second chance and that athletics has missed a chance to get Chambers out doing some work with kids about drugs and getting on making an honest life away from stabbings, drugs, abuse.....

A missed opportunity imo..

tbh if I was him i'd look at getting back in for the World Championships in 2010 and possible 2012 for a medal would be 34 but for a sprinter isnt an impossibility.
 
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sorry but Im glad he cant run - it would taint every other medal that England win, the averse press if he went would be far worse than anything that can possibly be printed if he doesnt and having a confirmed cheat on the British team could potentially harm other performances
 
FrankJH said:
sorry but Im glad he cant run - it would taint every other medal that England win, the averse press if he went would be far worse than anything that can possibly be printed if he doesnt and having a confirmed cheat on the British team could potentially harm other performances
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I'm glad he can't run.

But I think you mean Britain and not England there, given that there is only a GB team for the Olympics.
 
Its all a giant farce really. Lots of althletes take banned substances, we only get a circus show like this when they get caught though. Their 'tough stance on drugs' might have just cost us a medal.
Cheat as much as you can i say, just make sure you dont get caught.
 
FrankJH said:
sorry but Im glad he cant run - it would taint every other medal that England win, the averse press if he went would be far worse than anything that can possibly be printed if he doesnt and having a confirmed cheat on the British team could potentially harm other performances
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I dont see how it would taint every medal Britain wins if he is proven to now be clean, he's not going to be doing any other events and as long as the IOC/IAAF have extensive drug testing procedures in place then I dont see any need to tar everyone with the same brush.

It didnt happen when Christie was caught, it didnt happen when Staam was caught, or even where Ferdinand or Ohurogu were banned for missing tests, so why the hypocrisy and jumping on the bandwagon with Chambers, a man who has helped authorities a huge amount in reparation of what he did. (Im ignoring the Montomery/Jones ones as they were completely different circumstances leading from lying to a jury)

In my eyes he should either be banned from athletics completely or allowed to compete freely.. What differentiates the Olympics from the World Champs/Euro champs etc in terms of pure competition.. not a lot really.

*Edit*

Just read this on the updated BBC site:

"The BOA will continue to send a powerful message that nobody found guilty of serious drug-cheating offences should have the honour of wearing GB vests at the Olympic Games."
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Why stop there? Why not ban him from ever competing again if that's truly their stance - I bet they'll welcome him with open arms for any other event Team GB will compete in... :rolleyes:
 
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I think it's a travesty that he's not being allowed to run, he can compete in everything except the Olympics and I don't think it does anything to assure people that others aren't using drugs. He served the two years ban they imposed to have a secondary punishment is wrong.
 
I say there should be a no holds barred "can take as many drugs as u like" alternative Olympics, so we can stare at musclebound, androgenous freaks as they run 100m in 8.1 seconds, before dying at the age of 24. If thats what they want to do then let em. Seriously, I actually think drug use in sport should be made a proper criminal offence worldwide, such that if you are caught you spend real time in jail. The deterrants as it stands are simply not enough to stop them riskinging it for the financial rewards.
 
Good

He knew he cheated and the consequences that went with it, so I think it's good that they are setting an example. Otherwise, what message does it send out to others, especially with younger people.
 
Admiral Huddy said:
Good

He knew he cheated and the consequences that went with it, so I think it's good that they are setting an example. Otherwise, what message does it send out to others, especially with younger people.
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Well tbh, it gives the message that you can never make up for mistakes you made.. He's already been punished left right and centre - Pay back his prize money in full, gets no lottery funding, has served his ban.. surely theres your example. Cheat and you will be banned & punished - why stop him from competing in one competition though?

It didnt stop the greek from picking Thanou for their team...
 
The main thing that has bugged me since his comeback is how he's not actually been tested yet. Here's a guy who's already been banned for doing it, and he's back setting the same pace he was when he was on the stuff, and no-one's checked him?

I mean, I don't think he'd actually be stupid enough to come back dirty, but you'd think he'd be the first person to go "Here, check me, I'm clean now" as part of his appeal to be picked.
 
Yup, to be fair, if he's clean now he should be able to run. Half of atheletics is about supplements and whats legal and whats not, and i would be very surprised if a shedload of performers from most countries competing weren't doping now, or have been in the past.

He got a ban, for cheating, in the past, get over it if he's not cheating now let him run.
 
Rotty said:
isn't "mistake" being a bit generous ?
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Not really, the size and scope of it doesnt detract from it being as simple as a plain old lack of judgement/mistake imo.

Its not as if he's tried to deny anything though is it? He gave full disclosure on exactly what happened and when and has openly said that he made a mistake in ever taking banned substances.

I would bet that he has been tested all over the shop since his return purely because of the publicity of his case so I would say its 99.9% (and I only miss the 0.01% as I dont know the testing schedule) certain he is clean now.

Failing tests never stopped Carl Lewis eh ;)
 
I'm slightly conflicted about this, while I'd never want to support a drugs cheat he did serve the mandated ban for it (whether it is enough is a different matter entirely) and therefore is free to compete in some events. However the stated policy of the BOA has always been that a lifetime ban from the Olympics would result from a positive drugs test, he knew that before he took the drugs and therefore has very little grounds to argue on that basis unless they have allowed back others who tested positive for drugs.

What other countries do with their athletes is to a large degree irrelevant, it would be nice to see a unified policy but Britain has to look at its own athletes first and then deal with trying to police those of others.
 
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