Coe unhappy over Chambers challenge

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Chambers is likely to test a British Olympic Association bylaw which bans drug cheats from competing at the Games if he wins the 100 metres at the July's national trials.

But Coe insisted that if Chambers decided to pursue such a path, it would only further tarnish the reputation of the sport telling BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek: "No-one has announced a legal challenge yet but I am not sure I see a lot of principle in his stance - it is one which can only do further damage to the sport."

He added: "National Olympic committees and international federations must have the autonomy to govern their own sport in their best interests and that includes doing whatever they think they have to do keep it clean.

"They must be able to face down the lawyers and be able to govern their sport and at the centre of that is the 99% of athletes who want fair competition.

"We do need to understand the motivation behind these people and remember Dwain had a good coaching structure in this country and was running world-class times.

"He then goes off to charlatan coaches and sleazy chemists in the United States and runs a whole stack slower so I think there is a good lesson to be learnt there.

"But I really think these are not mutually exclusive. You can be very tough and say 'actually we were rather you weren't in our sport given what you've done but at the same time do understand what you have done and the motivations'.

"We cannot underestimate the damage that is being done and we need to move away from it and the way that can be done is by not letting these people take part."