• London Olympics 2012

Waiting game for Chambers over ban

ESPN staff
March 12, 2012
Dwain Chambers will be nervously awaiting the outcome of a Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing in London © Getty Images
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A Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing that could ultimately decide whether sprinter Dwain Chambers and cyclist David Millar are allowed to compete at this summer's Olympic Games takes place on Monday in London.

The CAS will examine whether the British Olympic Association's lifetime ban for any athlete convicted of serious doping offences is legal under world anti-doping rules.

The case has been prompted by the World Anti-Doping Agency's ruling that the BOA's by-law is 'non-compliant' with unified global drugs rules. All penalties for doping must be uniform under the WADA code, to which all Olympic bodies and competitors are subject.

A maximum penalty of a two-year ban for a first serious offence applies, and WADA is arguing that the BOA life ban from the Olympic Games is in fact an additional penalty.

Londoner Chambers, who was banned for two years for systematic doping, has said he is keen to compete in this summer's Games, which is viewed as the 33-year-old's last opportunity for an Olympic medal.

"It's quite scary," Chambers said in The Daily Telegraph of the impending outcome of the hearing, with a verdict expected within a month. "I'm nervous about it because, no matter what, I want to go but I don't know if I'm going to be able to. It would be great (to go).

"Ultimately, I want to perform in front of the home crowd. I've made mistakes but I'm trying to do the right thing and enjoy what time I have left in the sport."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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