February 7th, 2008

9:29am Thursday 7th February 2008

THE ongoing Dwain Chambers saga proves one thing - if UK Athletics are serious about pursuing a zero tolerance policy when it comes to drugs in their sport, they must introduce lifetime bans for convicted offenders.

No ifs, no buts. One strike and you're out.

The current system of ad hoc arrangements crumbles as soon as it is subjected to legal examination, and the threat of a two-year ban has been proven to be an insufficient deterrent when medals and endorsements are at stake.

When Chambers, a self-confessed drugs cheat, competes in the World Indoor Trials at Sheffield this weekend, the credibility of an entire sport will be compromised.

Yet unless the rules are tightened significantly, things could get a whole lot worse in the future.

As things stand, an athlete could fail a drugs test tomorrow and yet still return to claim a World Championships gold medal for Great Britain in the run-up to London 2012.

To his credit, Niels De Vos, the chief executive of UK Athletics, is aware of the problem, but his hands are tied.

De Vos was vehemently opposed to Chambers competing in Sheffield this weekend but was forced into a humiliating retreat once the sprinter's legal team got on to the case.

To briefly recap, Chambers served a two-year ban after testing positive for the anabolic steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) in 2003. He returned to the sport in 2006, only to try his hand at American football when things became difficult both on and off the track.

He was not subjected to UK Athletics' drug-testing regime during his time in the United States but, crucially, he had not informed the authorities of his intention to retire.

When he resumed his athletics career at the end of last year, the British authorities were powerless to prevent him.

The upshot is an almighty mess in which a former drugtaking pariah is attempting to win selection for a team that does not want him.

There will, of course, be some who claim that everybody is entitled to make a mistake.

That, though, is to ignore the irreparable damage that the drugs issue is currently inflicting on athletics.

Two years ago, Chambers claimed it was "pointless" trying to win the Olympic 100m gold unless you were prepared to take drugs.

Now, he wants us to believe he has had some kind of Paul on the Road to Damascus conversion.

There is too much doubt, too much bitterness, and the only way to remove both is to ensure cheats such as Chambers are not allowed to compete in the future.

Every athlete representing Britain at a senior level should sign a contract, agreeing never to take drugs. If they subsequently renege on the agreement, they should be banned from the sport for life.

UK Athletics want to take a lead on the drugs issue but the current legislation prevents them from doing so. While they talk tough on the one hand, they send out the wrong message with a series of humiliating climb-downs on the other.

It is to be hoped the Chambers situation acts as a wakeup call.

THERE were a series of alarming sights as all hell broke loose in the second half of Saturday's England defeat at Twickenham, but none was more salutary than the sight of skipper Phil Vickery watching on from the bench as Wales scored two of their three tries.

As Brian Ashton's men squandered a 13-point lead they lacked leadership. So why was their captain not on the field to provide it?

Modern rugby is an attritional game, but that does not explain Brian Ashton's infatuation with replacing his captain.

He did it in the World Cup, undermining Martin Corry's authority by constantly swapping him with Lawrence Dallaglio, and he did it again at the weekend.

A captain should lead from first minute to last. If Ashton does not feel Vickery capable of lasting 80 minutes, he should strip him of the captaincy immediately. If he opts to keep things as they are, however, he should refrain from indulging in stupid second- half substitutions.

SO, after Britain's promotion to the World group of the Davis Cup, Andy Murray will not be competing for John Lloyd's side against Argentina.

While Murray's arrival was supposed to herald a golden period for the British game, this weekend's match will prove things are now worse than they were four or five years ago. At least then, the rivalry between Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman suggested a semblance of depth in the British ranks.

Now, world number 188 Alex Bogdanovich and number 235 Jamie Baker are the closest rivals to Murray. God help them in Buenos Aires this weekend.

Editor's Choice