Campbell: Chambers not solely to blame

Olympic gold medalist Darren Campbell continues to maintain disgraced sprinter Dwain Chambers cannot be held “solely accountable” for his drug abuse.

Former European 100 metres champion Chambers, 30, has now returned to competitive action after his two-year suspension for testing positive for designer steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) in 2003, and won a silver medal at the World Indoor Championships in Valencia earlier this year.

However, Chambers – currently undertaking a trial with rugby league side Castleford Tigers – remains banned from the Olympic team, a situation the athlete’s legal advisors are currently considering appealing.

Chambers has, though, agreed to meet Britain’s anti-doping chief to provide inside knowledge on drug offences.

Campbell, 34, was stripped of his relay medals from the 2002 European Championships (gold) and 2003 World Championships (silver) as a result of Chambers’ subsequent ban, and staged a one-man protest after Britain claimed 4x100metres gold at the 2006 Europeans in Gothenburg.

Double Olympic medalist Campbell was in London’s Covent Garden this morning to help mark the launch of the Team GB website as the countdown to the Games hit 100 days.

While the former sprinter may be willing to “forgive and forget” what “wrecked Dwain as a person”, Campbell feels something must be done to guard against the likes of rogue coaches Remi Korchemny and BALCO chief Victor Conte, who were both embroiled in the THG scandal.

“What I did a couple of years ago was only about the sport, it was not about me against Dwain,” Campbell said.

“I was treated like an outcast, but sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe in.

“If that was going to stop one young person from eventually going down that road, then you have to do what is positive and if that meant sacrificing myself, then so be it.

“If we can’t keep sport drug free, then we have got a problem.”

Campbell insisted: “When you look back, people can see that I was one of the supporters of Dwain.

“He has so much talent, and I always looked at him as the real deal.

“I have always been clear and transparent in what I say – Dwain is not solely accountable.

“We have young athletes who have a lot of potential, and the problem with that is people tend to see dollar signs.

“If you are able to work with a top sprinter who can compete at the highest level in the world, then they can generate a lot of money.

“It has got to be advisors, because somebody like Dwain does not end up in America on his own.

“The important thing from all this is we learn the lessons from protecting our young athletes.

“We have good mentors and coaches over here.

“If any of the young athletes want to talk to me about dealing with that kind of pressure, it is not a problem.”

Campbell’s mentor Linford Christie, the former Olympic and world 100m champion, was found guilty by the International Association of Athletics Federations of using the performance-enhancing drug nandrolone following a routine doping test after an indoor meet in Germany during 1999, by which time he was in semi-retirement.

However, UK Athletics felt there was reasonable doubt whether the drug had been taken deliberately and Christie has continued his coaching work.

Campbell stands by the former British sprint star. He said: “The facts are the facts, but I do not see why Linford Christie would take drugs having come back into the sport after retiring.

“He is already successful and wealthy, and is coming back to a meeting where they are going to pay him to wave at the crowd.

“I don’t understand why he would ruin all that, it does not make sense. And until it does make sense, I just cannot accept it.”