Relief for UKA as Chambers misses Picketts Lock

Dwain Chambers is not competing at the Southern Counties Indoor Championships at Picketts Lock this weekend
13 April 2012

Dwain Chambers will not be making a track comeback at the Southern Counties Indoor Championships at Picketts Lock this weekend.

Meeting organisers have not received an entry from the former Great Britain sprinter, who has served a drugs ban, and their 60metres field is already heavily oversubscribed.

South of England AA administrator Linda Whitehead said today: "He is not in the 60m. He has not entered.

"And he can't now because the closing date was January 8. I've no idea where the story came from."

Chambers was, according to reports, intending to restart his athletics career after his American football venture ended with the closure of NFL Europa.

It is suggested the 29-year-old Londoner hopes to gain selection for the British team and compete over 60m at the World Indoor Championships in March and was understood Chambers hoped to qualify for next month's world trials on Saturday.

Victory would have assured him of automatic selection for Valencia if he also held the world qualifier, a move that would have embarrassed UK Athletics who have given a frosty reception to Chambers' return and are planning to amend their constitution regarding those committing anti-doping offences.

One suggestion is they will debar any athlete who is convicted of a drugs offence where illegal substances are found in their body from ever again wearing a British vest.

UKA do acknowledge however, that they cannot prevent anyone who has served their punishment competing on the international or domestic circuit.

But for legal reasons their new measures could not be retrospective and therefore not affect Chambers, who received a two-year suspension after testing positive for the steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) in August 2003.

On his return the disgraced sprinter competed for the Norwich Union GB team at the 2006 European Championships, reaching the 100 metres final and winning a 4x100m relay gold medal.

Although he was initially welcomed back, it seems after quitting the sport last year for NFL, UKA - and their new management team - have hardened their stance.

Should Chambers eventually return, the IAAF have indicated he will have to pay back prize money of around £200,000 which he earned whilst using THG.

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