ATHLETICS NEWS: KELLY HOLMES and Steve Redgrave are among a group of leading sports personalities who last night launched a public campaign to save the bylaw which prevents Dwain Chambers from running for Britain at this year's Olympic Games.
Chambers, who tested positive for the anabolic steroid Tetrahydrogestrinone in 2003 and was banned for two years, aims to overturn the British Olympic Association ruling in the High Court, but Holmes and Redgrave are among more than 100 names who have responded to a petition from the British Athletes Commission. Chambers' lawyers are preparing to serve the BOA with court papers by the end of the week.
The sprinter ran the Beijing qualifying time of 10.21 seconds in Germany on Saturday. Afterwards Chambers admitted he was amazed by the reception he was given by the Biberac crowd after receiving standing ovations after both his races.
"I cannot believe it, they are just fantastic," said Chambers after winning his final in a world-class 10.06 to move joint top of the British rankings with Tyrone Edgar.
Last night Holmes, the double Olympic middle-distance champion; Redgrave, the five-times rowing gold medallist; and Craig Pickering, the European Indoor 60m silver-medallist and a potential team-mate of Chambers in Beijing were among those hoping the law would not be overturned.
The BAC, the independent body representing Olympians and Paralympians, contacted their members two months ago.
"I have no hesitation in giving my full support to the BOA bylaw and their commitment to seek a life-time Olympic ban for sports people convicted of taking performance enhancing drugs," said Holmes.
"It is essential we continue to give the clearest and strongest message to young people that using banned substances to enhance performance is totally unacceptable."
Redgrave said: "The BOA is right to stand by this bylaw as it is sending out a very strong and positive message to the youth of this country. We have a lot stricter criteria than any other country but this is the right message."
Pickering, who is set to face Chambers at the Olympic trials in Birmingham next week, said: "In athletics, and sport as a whole, competing at the Olympic Games represents the pinnacle of a performer's career. By preventing drug cheats from taking up this opportunity, the BOA gives a strong incentive to performers not to dope.
"It also allows clean athletes not to miss out on this magnificent opportunity to compete at the Olympic Games by having their place taken by someone who has broken the rules.
"Taking drugs in sport is the worst crime that can be committed within the sporting world. It involves lying, cheating, and robbing people who may have worked for more than a decade to achieve greatness, only to have it taken away from them at the last minute.
"By banning cheats for life from the Olympics, the BOA retains credibility in sport where cheating is unfortunately becoming more commonplace, and should be congratulated for this."
As the 400m runner Christine Ohuruogu discovered in November, the bylaw can be overturned. She had been banned for missing three drug tests. Chambers, though, failed a test and no athlete with a serious drugs offence has been allowed back in by the BOA.
Chambers ran 10.14 seconds and then 10.06 at the Weltklasse meeting on Saturday.
His solicitor, Nick Collins, said: "The legal papers are presently with his barrister and we are anticipating serving them before the end of this week."
The barrister Jonathan Crystal will represent Chambers.
"I have a good team and they're confident what I can do on the track and I'm confident what they can do in the court room," he said.
"I strongly believe that British athletes can win gold at the Olympics and I'm confident that I'll be there."
The BOA issued a statement last night. It read: "We can confirm that the British Olympic Association has not received service of any proceedings from lawyers acting on behalf of Dwain Chambers.
"As we have made very clear, the BOA will vigorously defend any case that comes to us which is challenging our eligibility bylaw.
"In the interests of the British Olympic Movement and the athletes who aspire to line up at an Olympic Games and our youngsters looking for Olympic glory in London, the BOA confirms that it will vigorously and unequivocally defend its lifetime ban on drug cheats who have brought themselves and their sports into disrepute."
• Guardian Service
