• London Olympics 2012

Malcolm supports Chambers' Olympic bid

It remains to be seen whether Dwain Chambers will compete at London 2012 © Getty Images

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Christian Malcolm is backing Dwain Chambers to have his lifetime Olympic ban overturned, insisting "he has served his time now".

Chambers, who was found guilty of taking the anabolic steroid THG in 2004, is waiting to find out if he has a chance of competing at London 2012. The British Olympic Association bans drug cheats for life but World Anti-Doping Agency claims the BOA's by-law is 'non-compliant' with unified global drugs rules.

The case went before the Court of Arbitration for Sport earlier this month, with a verdict expected in April. And Malcolm who - along with Chambers was part of the Great Britain 4x100m relay team that won silver at the 2003 World Championships in Paris, before having their medals taken away as a consequence of Chambers testing positive for THG six months later - believes Chambers should be free to compete at this summer's Games.

"When he first failed the drug test, I was the first person he called," Malcolm told the BBC Sport Wales TV show. "But what I heard in his voice was the disappointment and the fear.

"I was angry at him but I knew he was hurting and I knew he needed me. He came to stay with me for six to eight weeks during that period to get away from the media. He apologised and we had our discussions and I have forgiven him for what he has done."

Welshman Malcolm says he was "frustrated" Chambers decided to take banned substances, rather than harness his natural talent.

"He was misled at the time," Malcolm said. "He was young, vulnerable, very naive and has learned from a hard mistake. Dwain has a good heart but went through a stupid period in his life where he was naive.

"There should be redemption and I like to see drug cheats come back because I like to see what they can do without the drugs. Are they really talented enough to perform well or did the drugs help them? If they come back without the drugs in their system and don't do well, then that is a real punishment."

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