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Chambers does not deserve 2012 chance - Greene

Maurice Greene has no sympathy for Dwain Chambers © PA Photos

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Former Olympic 100m champion Maurice Greene has accused Dwain Chambers of tainting athletics and does not believe the Brit should be allowed to compete at London 2012.

Chambers served a two-year ban after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance in 2003, but is ineligible to represent Team GB at London 2012 because of a British Olympic Association bylaw.

Reigning 400m Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt's successful appeal has raised Chambers' hopes that he may be able to compete next summer, but Greene believes Chambers does not deserve the chance to run.

Greene has no sympathy for the likes of Chambers, Justin Gatlin and Tim Montgomery, sprinters who have all tested positive for illegal substances, believing their actions caused long-term damage to the sport.

"He knew the rules," Greene told the Daily Telegraph. "The rules are the rules. He knew what was at stake before he took drugs, so now he pays the price. That's it. No more to say.

"Why should I have sympathy? He cost me money. Sponsors were coming up to me at the time and saying we can't sponsor you anymore because we might, somewhere down the line, be faced with the fact that you took drugs and that would damage us. And I'd tell them, 'Look you'll have to trust me on this, I'm not'. But they said, sorry we can't take the risk.

"If you look at the sponsors who were in the sport 15 years ago compared to now there are a lot fewer. Why? Because those runners who took drugs tainted the sport. They tainted all of us in it. And you expect me to feel sorry for the guy?

"I knew he [Chambers] was taking drugs when he was running against me because the people he was dealing with came to me and said they could help me too. I told them I wasn't interested because without any drugs I was beating all the guys they were helping. I was never tempted. But still their actions cost me."

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