Yoda
English & European
A bit like a lot of American Athletes before they make the International grade and subject to testing.
Got something to say or just want fewer pesky ads? Join us... 😊
Dwain Chambers, Should he be allowed to run in the olympics
- Thread starter maffew
- Start date
A bit like a lot of American Athletes before they make the International grade and subject to testing.
Yoda
English & European
Quite a bit. A good Olympics means more invites to top, high class, big pay meets. He must be in some debt as, as far as I can work out, he's still been training full time since his ban started.
beorhthelm
A. Virgo, Football Genius
- Jul 21, 2003
- 35,838
i dont really understand the confusion. he hasnt "served his time" since the BOC say its a life ban. just because others are more lenient is irrelevent. if the olympics standards and another nation choose a shorter punishment it is up to him to find another nation, become a citizen and run for them. its clear that our rules are, cheaters f*** off.
for me the whole issue has put me right off Olypmics, i dont trust any of them any more and dont care one iota how good/bad we do. that is his legacy, highlighting the endemic cheating and indifference many in the sport have towards it. I have even heard it argued that we should allow any and all drugs to level the playing field. whatever.
for me the whole issue has put me right off Olypmics, i dont trust any of them any more and dont care one iota how good/bad we do. that is his legacy, highlighting the endemic cheating and indifference many in the sport have towards it. I have even heard it argued that we should allow any and all drugs to level the playing field. whatever.
Why the witch hunt on Chambers? This is starting to annoy me.Easy 10 wants him banned for life but if we ban him for life then do we ban all sportsmen for life if they fall foul of the testers?
Ban Rio Ferdinand for life for his missed test?
Ban Mark Lewis Francis, he failed for a recreational drug,
Ban Carl Myerscough?
Ban Christine Ohuruogu?
The list goes on with many footballers, tennis players, cricketers etc so why is Dwayne Chambers being singled out
It's an interesting point. Linford Christie failed a drug test. Shane Warne failed a drug test. Our attitudes to them are completely different though for some reason.
Tricky Dicky
New member
The reaction to Christie probably wouldn't have been much different if it had happened at the height of his career instead of towards the end. As for Shane, well, he just liked a joint or something, hardly performance enhancing for cricket I would have thought.
Easy 10
Brain dead MUG SHEEP
In the case of Christie, I seem to remember there was 'reasonable doubt' as to whether or not he'd deliberately taken a banned substance, or whether it had come about through a reaction to some (legal) nutrients he'd been taking.
All very murky. But in Chambers's case, it was proved conclusively beyond doubt that he'd been on anabolic steroids (amongst other things).
Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 31,093
Athletics has a real credibility problem. The perception with a lot of people about drugs in athletics is "they're all at it".
For the good of the sport they need to take a hardline, zero-tolerance attitude and stick with it. Unfortuntely, they took too soft a line with Chambers and now have this mess to deal with.
The outcome in the short-term is clear-cut. If he's served his ban and is clean he HAS to be allowed to race.
However, the law is an ass in this case. The higher level he competes in the more people will be turned off the sport.
You only have to look at the pathetic situation Barry Bonds now finds himself in re baseball. Ordinarily, the all-time home run leader would be a national hero but instead he is a national disgrace and the time when someone clean breaks Bonds' new records can't come quickly enough for the American public.
For the good of the sport they need to take a hardline, zero-tolerance attitude and stick with it. Unfortuntely, they took too soft a line with Chambers and now have this mess to deal with.
The outcome in the short-term is clear-cut. If he's served his ban and is clean he HAS to be allowed to race.
However, the law is an ass in this case. The higher level he competes in the more people will be turned off the sport.
You only have to look at the pathetic situation Barry Bonds now finds himself in re baseball. Ordinarily, the all-time home run leader would be a national hero but instead he is a national disgrace and the time when someone clean breaks Bonds' new records can't come quickly enough for the American public.
Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 71,897
He only stopped cheating cos he got caught. Else he'd still be doing it. So life ban should stand.
desprateseagull
New member
why did British peeps only ban him for 2 years? if they felt so strongly, surely a life ban should have been set at the time.. and not give him the idea he could come back..
though with the widespread (allegedly) abuse of drugs in almost every sport, i think there should be a truly freebase games, and lets see who crosses the line
first.. however they got there!
if he goes, and WINS, would people still feel the same way?
his (and all cheats) bodies will suffer later on, so its all good.
though with the widespread (allegedly) abuse of drugs in almost every sport, i think there should be a truly freebase games, and lets see who crosses the line
first.. however they got there!
if he goes, and WINS, would people still feel the same way?
his (and all cheats) bodies will suffer later on, so its all good.
Gary Leeds
Well-known member
- May 5, 2008
- 1,526
Drugs are bad, mmmmmmmmkaaaayyyyyy 
dougdeep
New member
Just seems strange that our rules differ from everyone elses.
John Bumlick
Banned
who cares? it's just a load of blacks running away from a white man with a pistol and they all look the same so what does it matter which one of them wins??
Yoda
English & European
UKA would've HAD to under the IAAF rules and they state that he would be banned for two years and, again under their rules, can return to compete in ALL events.
In a way, I for one am with Steve Redgrave on this. It should be a four year ban so they WILL miss an Olympic cycle. Under those rules Dwain has, his ban was from 2003 and took him out of the 2004 Athens games and would have ended by now.
Half Time Pies
Well-known member
Rubbish, Christie took drugs just the same as Chambers. He was found guilty and tried to appeal but got nowhere. The only difference between Christie and Chambers was that Chambers put his hands up and admitted the extent of his drug taking. He didn't need to do that and ultimately he has suffered from his honesty. Most of the commentators have come out and slated him for claiming that all top level athletes take drugs but certainly within the ranks of the sprinters this seems to be true. Look at Tim Montgomery and Maurice Greene who were Chambers main competitors they have both been implicated in the recent drug taking scandal.
Is it therefore really that surprising that people like Chambers choose to go down this route? Everyone makes mistakes and to impose a lifetime ban on someone does nothing to help matters. The fact that chambers is now back, has seen the error of his ways and is running fast without the need for drugs sends out a powerful message to all athletes about what can be achieved without the use of performance enhancing drugs.
Yoda
English & European
As an ATHLETE MYSELF, that is how I see it.
Yes, I don't agree with what he's done in the past, but the way he has gone about himself this year so far in pointing out who & where he got them from was the first step. Like you say, he is now on the second step by saying to everyone, I can run just as fast without them in my system.
clapham_gull
Legacy Fan
- Aug 20, 2003
- 25,722
I honestly can't stand most athletic events, I actually have no interest in single person events to be honest.
Reason I've never liked tennis, golf etc.. just get more enjoyment out of watching a team working together (or not) rather than an individual event.
I feel quite sorry him, but since Athletics has got such a bad reptutation (and you think of the quite unaturally pumped up specimins who got away with it in the past) I don't think the authorities have any choice at all from banning those who get caught from the Olympics.
Reason I've never liked tennis, golf etc.. just get more enjoyment out of watching a team working together (or not) rather than an individual event.
I feel quite sorry him, but since Athletics has got such a bad reptutation (and you think of the quite unaturally pumped up specimins who got away with it in the past) I don't think the authorities have any choice at all from banning those who get caught from the Olympics.
nwgull
Well-known member
Loads of international sprint athletes are on perfomance enhancing drugs, Chambers had to take the drugs just to put himself on a level playing field with his competitors. The only mistake he made was getting caught, and what he did gave him no unfair advantage.
There are loads of athletes on drugs, most of them never get caught.
There are loads of athletes on drugs, most of them never get caught.
In my opinion very little of what is being discussed matters.
Who gives a shit (relative) in all honesty if some others in his event did it? What about the other competitors who didn't? I think it ssets a dengerous precedent to say ' well because eveyrone else was doing it, we'll let you off' - think how ludicrous that is!
He also said ALL top athletes do it which is simply disgraceful. How can he expect to be part of the team including Paula Radcliffe (hopefully), Ohurugo and Idowu for instance - he's called them cheats!
The point about other athletes: Ohurugo and Ferdinand just missed drugs tests - and they are ridiculous anyway. In most jobs, let alone athletics, would you be able to tell someone where you'd be a year in advance (including traffic problems!) I don't know about Christie to be honest.
Chambers wasnt exactly open and honest - he took them a while before he was caught. The ONLY thing in his favour is the fact that othre athletes are treated differently which simply isn't right. But I think we've got to make everyone do the lifetime ban.
Athletics is clouded with this drugs-stigma at the moment which is such a shame. You can no longer trust the host nations and this is the first olympics im not really really excited about - there is HUGE doubt about the Chinese athletes and whether we should be there in the first place.
Athletics needs an overhaul and this could start with a blanket rule of lifetime ban for drug-taking; end of. No appeals, no nothing, that's it.
You say you can see how hard it must have been for him not to; but yet again this is a dangerous president. Do we say we can see how someopen who was abused as a child goes on to continue the pattern? Does this make it acceptable? A similar motif can be appleid to many things.
Our ultimate aim (because of all I've said) has to be London 2012 and Chambers won't be running there I'd think. We need a blend of future and old, much in the same way that all premiership clubs bar the top 4 need this. Is Chambers going to be one of those athletes?
Athletics is trying to get ex-athletes to become mentors, especially the odler ones competing this year - do you want Chambers to be mentoring our next hopes?
Who gives a shit (relative) in all honesty if some others in his event did it? What about the other competitors who didn't? I think it ssets a dengerous precedent to say ' well because eveyrone else was doing it, we'll let you off' - think how ludicrous that is!
He also said ALL top athletes do it which is simply disgraceful. How can he expect to be part of the team including Paula Radcliffe (hopefully), Ohurugo and Idowu for instance - he's called them cheats!
The point about other athletes: Ohurugo and Ferdinand just missed drugs tests - and they are ridiculous anyway. In most jobs, let alone athletics, would you be able to tell someone where you'd be a year in advance (including traffic problems!) I don't know about Christie to be honest.
Chambers wasnt exactly open and honest - he took them a while before he was caught. The ONLY thing in his favour is the fact that othre athletes are treated differently which simply isn't right. But I think we've got to make everyone do the lifetime ban.
Athletics is clouded with this drugs-stigma at the moment which is such a shame. You can no longer trust the host nations and this is the first olympics im not really really excited about - there is HUGE doubt about the Chinese athletes and whether we should be there in the first place.
Athletics needs an overhaul and this could start with a blanket rule of lifetime ban for drug-taking; end of. No appeals, no nothing, that's it.
You say you can see how hard it must have been for him not to; but yet again this is a dangerous president. Do we say we can see how someopen who was abused as a child goes on to continue the pattern? Does this make it acceptable? A similar motif can be appleid to many things.
Our ultimate aim (because of all I've said) has to be London 2012 and Chambers won't be running there I'd think. We need a blend of future and old, much in the same way that all premiership clubs bar the top 4 need this. Is Chambers going to be one of those athletes?
Athletics is trying to get ex-athletes to become mentors, especially the odler ones competing this year - do you want Chambers to be mentoring our next hopes?
nwgull
Well-known member
Ohurugu missed 3 tests in a year, no excuses for that! The regime is fairly simple in that you keep the testers up to date as to which part of the world you're training in. They then contact you to say they are testing you (giving reasonable notice and location) and you're then obliged to be there. Ferdinand could possibly be excused for missing 1 test but missing 3 is a differeny matter! It seems very possible that she knew she'd test positive on those tests and was prepared to accept the more leniant 1 year ban for missing tests as opposed to the 2 year/life ban for testing +ve.