Chambers prepares for first 100-metre race in two years

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Dwain Chambers is expected to contest his first 100 metres for almost two years
in Biberach, Germany at the end of next month.

After failing to make the grade with rugby league club Castleford, Chambers returned to full-time training last week and is determined to compete for Team GB at the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer.

The 29-year-old Londoner is planning a High Court challenge to a lifetime suspension imposed by the British Olympic Association over his positive drugs test in a bid to achieve his ambition.

The long road back starts here: Dwain Chambers is back on the 100metres blocks

The opportunity to race in southern Germany comes as a first lifeline for Chambers, who needs to get himself race fit before the British trials in Birmingham from July 11-13.

Biberach organisers confirmed today they expect an answer from Chambers within
the next two days as to whether he will compete at the open international on June 28.

"Everybody can make a mistake once in their life," said the event director Heinz Husselman. "Give him a second chance."

Biberach is not a partner of Euromeetings, whose members were recommended in
March not to invite doping offenders to their competitions who had served two-year suspensions since 2003.

But already there are signs that the blockade, not only on Chambers but also others who have tarnished their careers by using drugs, is wilting.

Lyudmila Blonska, who served a two-year ban starting in June 2003 and went on to win the World Championships heptathlon silver medal last summer, is competing
in Gotzis this weekend, although the Austrian event is also not signed up to Euromeetings.

And today Gerhard Janetzky, managing director of the DKB-Istaf Berlin Golden League meeting, reiterated his announcement of six weeks ago that Chambers might be offered an invite if he reclaims top form.

Janetsky said: "We have a rule here concerning the appearance of athletes who have been on a doping ban that we give them a cooling off period.

"In the case of Mr Chambers, after he has his period of two years when he's forbidden to start, we give him, for one year, no invitation to come to Berlin."

That effectively opens the door for Chambers, who returned to competition in 2006 and went on to win a European Championships 4x100metres gold medal, to race in Berlin next summer.

Janetzsky added: "If this year he's performing well, he's free of any accusations of doping and he is in the next year eligible because of performance, we would consider inviting him.

"It's something that every invitational meeting can decide on their own, but I'm sure the position I have here is a position of other meetings, and I know from Zurich Golden League meeting, they share the same opinion."