• London 2012

Chambers deserving of second chance

Dwain Chambers is still awaiting the outcome of his appeal against a lifetime Olympic ban © PA Photos

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Victor Conte, the sports nutritionist at the centre of 'Balco' scandal that resulted in Dwain Chambers receiving a two-year ban from athletics, has said that the 34-year-old deserves the opportunity to compete at this summer's Olympic Games.

Chambers received his ban after testing positive for the banned substance THG in 2003, and was prevented from competing in a number of events as well as having a selection of previous results annulled.

Significantly the Londoner was also given a lifetime ban from competing at the Olympics by the British Olympic Association (BOA), against which he has lodged an appeal through the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the outcome of which is due next week.

In the meantime Conte has said that Chambers has earned the right to compete.

"He trusted me like a father, and I will be forever remorseful regarding the pain and suffering I caused not only him but his entire family," he told BBC Sport. "Dwain has rebounded from the serious mistakes he made to become a man of strong moral character - I could not be more proud of Dwain Chambers and the terrific human being he has become."

Conte continued: "It's (competing in the Olympics) become the most important thing in his life.

"I know he goes to lots of schools and talks to lots of kids and he's doing what he can to stop them making the very serious mistakes he did. I think he has walked the talk and earned his opportunity.

"I've known him for a long time but Dwain has really grown as a person, and he's someone his team-mates can trust to be clean for the rest of his time that he competes in sport."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.