• London Olympics 2012

Chambers to learn Olympic fate in April

ESPN staff
January 10, 2012
Kelly Sotherton supports the BOA lifetime ban

Dwain Chambers will have to wait until April to learn his Olympic fate after the Court of Arbitration for Sport set a date for the hearing into Team GB's lifetime bans for drugs cheats.

The British Olympic Association take its case to CAS on March 12, where representatives will argue that its bylaw, which bans convicted drugs cheats from competing in the Olympic Games, does not violate the World Anti-Doping Association code.

Chambers, David Millar and other athletes convicted of doping offences are currently ineligible to compete at London 2012, but if CAS find the BOA's bylaw to be non-compliant with the world anti-doping code, they will be cleared to be selected for Team GB.

The International Olympic Association recently lost a case over its ruling that drugs cheats should miss the next Games even if their ban has expired. However, the BOA argues a clean drugs record is an eligibility issue rather than an additional punishment on those who have failed drugs tests.

Heptathlete Kelly Sotherton expressed her support for the BOA last week, and claimed the vast majority of athletes were in favour of a lifetime ban for drugs cheats.

"You might be a reformed character and you might tell the world what you shouldn't do and how you shouldn't do it and you shouldn't get mixed up, but you should pay a penalty and the penalty should be the Olympics," Sotherton told ESPN.

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