Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Cash-strapped Chambers may retire

Dwain Chambers
Chambers has tried American Football and Rugby League since his ban

Dwain Chambers may have to retire in 2009 because of financial concerns.

The sprinter tested positive for THG in 2003, served a two-year doping ban and was banned from the Olympics for life by the British Olympic Association.

UK Athletics says he is welcome to run for Great Britain again, but he has been banned from many top meets.

Chambers, 30, said: "It's not going to be easy. If I can't earn anything next year then I'll have to consider finding some other kind of living."

After his positive test, Londoner Chambers admitted he had taken other banned substances to enhance his performance and revealed to the BBC that he had started taking THG 18 months before he was eventually caught.

The revelation led to him being stripped of the 100m gold medal he won at the European Championship in 2002, and also cost him and his team-mates the gold they had won in the 4x100m relay.

The duration of my career will depend on how well I'm treated by the meet promoters

Dwain Chambers

Chambers challenged for a place in the British Olympic team for Beijing in 2008, winning the 100m at the GB trials, but in July the High Court refused his request for an injunction against his Olympic ban.

After failed stints in American Football and rugby league, Chambers relies on his partner to pay the bills and he owes the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) more than £100,000, money earned during the period he was using performance-enhancing drugs.

"I'm able to continue competing as long as my lady is still in a job," Chambers. "I have no-one other than Leonie supporting me."

606: DEBATE

The Euro Meetings Group, which represents 51 promoters, has banned him and other drug offenders from its events and Chambers admitted: "The duration of my career will depend on how well I'm treated by the meet promoters."

UKA chief executive Niels de Vos failed in an attempt to prevent Chambers competing in last year's World Indoor Championships.

UKA at that time were unaware Chambers had continued to abide by IAAF out-of-competition regulations and the world governing body pronounced he was eligible to race.

However, in September De Vos said Chambers, who claimed world indoors 60m silver, would be welcome back in the British team.

"The reason I didn't think Dwain should have competed in the world indoors was that he had not been on a [drugs] testing programme for 12 months. That was it, pure and simple," said De Vos.

Chambers plans to challenge for the European Indoor 60m title in March and then compete at the World Championships in the summer.

"I plan opening my season at the Birmingham Games in January, then the trials as I want to run in the European Indoors and at the World Championships," he added. "I want to win medals for my country. I can achieve that and get the job done."

Chambers reveals in his book Race Against Me, which will be published in March, how he not only lost his house but saw his income drop from six figures to nothing.

He will soon attempt to overturn his ban on competing at UKA-organised international meetings, which could provide him with valuable income.

"I'll try to arrange a meeting with Niels de Vos in the new year and we'll see what happens," said Chambers.

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