UKA Chief Proposes Longer Bans

With all the flak surrounding the Dwain Chambers case, with all the finger pointing, ad hominem attacks and breaking of dark secret pacts, it's quite surprising that the UK athletics council is still fighting for their cause. Chambers controversial stunt of revealing that hey, almost ALL athletes use drugs because they can't win otherwise has sent the UK athletics council into a hissy fit, and they have all but avowed to turn the tides in the murky world of athletics and drugs. Add the fact that Chambers has actually been able to return to top-flight competition and you've got a hasty proposal to rewrite current loss.


UK Atheletics bigwig Niels de Vos has expressed desire to have tougher bans for drug cheats because of Dwain Chambers seemingly unjust return. He also said that the reason that Chambers return had caused such an uproar was because the sport recognized that the two-year ban was a significant own goal. It's not just Chambers-- there is a hardening of attitudes across athletics all over. For Vos, a two year ban is simply too short- like recovery from an injury, and even a four-year ban is debatable as best.


Chambers was banned for two years after he was tested positive for THG in 2003, but he was able to get a place in Great Britain's squad for the World Indoor Championships the proceeding month when he convincingly won the 60 m race at the trials. As such, the UKA was forced to admit the former drug user in the squad, as they feared an expensive lawsuit should he be omitted.


Paralympian Tanni Grey Thompson, leader of a UKA anti-doping review group that was formed in the wake of Chambers' selection, had voted for an 8 year ban for drug users, provided that the move is legally watertight. She has a very firm view against doping, and will be spending the next two weeks discussing the sanctions the the UKA can legally impose with lawyers, so as to avoid another issue like Chambers in the future. She also wants to include Chambers in her reviews process so as to uncover his motives for cheating. She wants to understand why an athlete will willingly choose to go down the illegal path to boost their knowledge for athlete education.