Chambers hearing underway

A relaxed-looking Dwain Chambers arrived nearly an hour early for today’s doping disciplinary hearing which will decide his athletics future.

The European 100 metres champion faced a three-man panel at London’s Lincoln’s Inn Field after testing positive for the banned designer steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) in an out of competition test last August.

Charles Flint QC chaired the panel hearing evidence presented by UK Athletics and 25-year-old Chambers who has vehemently protested his innocence.

The case for UK Athletics, who are demanding a ban on the sprinter, was presented by David Pannick QC, who defended British tennis star Greg Rusedski at his recent drugs hearing in Montreal.

Chambers was represented by Michael Berloff QC, who defended Scottish skier Alain Baxter who tested positive at the 2002 Winter Olympics after using a nasal spray.

The heavyweight line up of witnesses for UK Athletics included Larry Bowers, a scientist with the US Anti-doping Agency and Professor Don Catlin, director of the UCLA laboratory.

Chambers faces a possible two-year ban from athletics and a lifetime Olympic ban if he is found guilty.

The case against Chambers arose after the USA Anti-doping Agency were secretly tipped off by an American coach who provided them with a sample of THG – thought to be an undetectable drug – and then had the University of California develop an antidote.

They then ensured that all tests carried out at the USA National Championships last June were securely stored and when a successful testing was developed four athletes were found to have competed using THG.

Chambers was the first to be publicly named and, with the IAAF operating a strict liability regulation whereby competitors are responsible for any substances found in their bodies, he could find it difficult to escape punishment, despite insisting that he has never knowingly used any drugs to enhance his career.