Chambers to open dialogue over doping

(GETTY IMAGES)

Dwain Chambers will pursue a twin-track policy today as he seeks to make a third comeback to athletics. He will decide whether to seek an Olympic future in the High Court, and then sit down for a long-awaited meeting with UK Sport's anti-doping chief John Scott to offer a chapter-and-verse account of the drug regime that led to him being banned for two years in 2003, bringing with him a lengthy document from supplier Victor Conte.

"I can confirm we are meeting John Scott," the sprinter's lawyer Nick Collins said. 'The intention is to open up a dialogue with UK Sport and to be as helpful as possible in their fight against doping. We will be taking the letter with us and discussing its contents."

Conte, who has served a four-month prison sentence for conspiracy to distribute steroids and money laundering, claims athletes are using "duck and dodge" tactics to get away with cheating. These include filling up their mobile phones with bogus messages so they cannot be reached by the testers and putting misleading information on their "whereabouts" form.

He also maintains that athletes are exploiting the current allowance of two missed doping appointments before incurring penalties, and believes the allowance should be reduced to one.

The 30-year-old former European 100m champion, who has made abortive attempts at new careers in American Football and more recently Rugby League, will also be discussing with Collins the possibility of mounting a legal challenge to the British Olympic Association's byelaw banning doping offenders from the Games.

But the sprinter may be beaten to it by a shot putter. Carl Myerscough, whose own lawyers have written to the BOA serving notice of their intent to contest the ruling. Chambers's 28-year-old former team-mate, who has been based in the United States for the last 10 years, was given a two-year ban in 1999 following a positive test for a cocktail of anabolic steroids, said four years ago that he could not afford to take his failed appeal further.

Colin Moynihan, the chairman of the BOA, commented : 'We have received a letter from Carl Myerscough's lawyers stating the intention to issue proceedings. We will vigorously defend any case that comes to us.'