Americans getting away with it, claims Collins

World sprint champion Kim Collins has accused America of covering up positive drug tests in their athletics team.

Collins, the 100metres world champion and favourite for Olympic Games gold in Athens, claims Americans caught flaunting the drugs rules are “simply told not to do it again”.

He feels British sprinter Dwain Chambers, banned following a positive test, has been unfairly treated “maybe because he is not American”, and would not rule out taking performance-enhancing drugs himself.

“I don’t know how it has been allowed to happen. The Americans have been involved in a lot of cover-ups,” St Kitts and Nevis sprinter Collins told the Mail on Sunday.

“A lot of them have been caught but simply told not to do it again. Some of this comes out into the open and some of it does not.

“What has happened to Dwain is unfair. There is clearly prejudice towards him, maybe because he is not American. If there are rules, they must be applied to everyone. As they are not, then Dwain should still be allowed to run.”

Collins has advised fellow athletes to try to improve their technique rather than turn to drugs, but admitted: “I can’t say for sure that I wouldn’t take drugs if I was losing. It’s a possibility.

“Athletes are coming up to me all the time to seek my advice over whether they should take drugs. I try to advise them on bettering their times by improving their technique. But it shows how widespread the problem is.”