Share

Chambers set to face Bolt

London - Controversial British sprinter Dwain Chambers will face world record holder Usain Bolt over 100 metres at this month's Golden Spike event in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

Chambers is now eligible for selection for the London 2012 Olympics after the British Olympic Association's life-time ban for drugs cheats was over-ruled and he will get a chance to test himself against the best ahead of the Games when he goes head to head with Jamaica's Bolt.

In addition to Chambers, who served a two-year ban after testing positive for a banned steroid in 2003, Olympic champion Bolt will take on three other men who have gone under 10 seconds - America's Darvis Patton, Jamaica's Lerone Clarke and Zimbabwe's Ngonidzashe Makusha.

Alfons Juck, the Ostrava meeting manager, said: "I can confirm that Dwain Chambers has been invited to the Golden Spike event.

"At the start of the year his agent and lawyer approached all the meetings, including Ostrava. We just waited for the announcement, I wanted to see how it would end with the CAS situation, with the BOA and so on and then we published it.

"But it had nothing to do with the decision over whether Dwain would run in Ostrava or not. We just waited because we thought, from a PR point of view, it would be more wise to wait, then put it into the right perspective."

The 34-year-old Chambers has been absent from Europe's leading meets for several years after promoters decided to ban drug cheats.

The Ostrava meeting is the most prestigious event to have offered Chambers a lane since his return to top-flight athletics in 2008 and his inclusion could be the prelude to competing in the top-tier Diamond League series.

His legal representative, Siza Agha, suggests there could be more opportunities for the sprinter in the run-up to London 2012.

"It's a case now of seeing how things develop over the next two or three weeks," Agha said.

"There are a lot of discussions going on, with a number of people, not just inside the sport but also outside the sport and it's important to let those discussions take their full course and then we can assess it.

"It's all very positive and it's no less than Dwain deserves."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
loading... Live
North West 0
Warriors RSA 114/5
loading... Live
Titans RSA 0
Lions 115/4
loading... Live
Western Province 124/4
Boland 0
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1817 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1777 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1084 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 461 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 187 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 254 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE