Chambers puts off return to athletics for prize dispute, By: China View

LONDON, Feb. 17, 2006

Dwain Chambers's planned return to athletics seems to be postponed because of prize money dispute over a dope cheat.

Chambers had planned to make his comeback at Saturday's indoor meeting in Birmingham, central England, after completing a two-year drug ban imposed for failing a test for the anabolic steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (THG).

The European 100 meters champion had also successfully passed four mandatory International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) drug tests required before an athlete is eligible to compete again.

 However Chambers revealed in an interview just before Christmas that he had been using THG since early 2002, prompting the IAAF to review his activities. The IAAF then requested Chambers to further explain his comments via UK Athletics by February 21.

Chambers, 27, was also asked to respond regarding how he might pay back some, or all, of the prize money he acquired during this period - a substantial sum. The ruling aimed at recovering cash from banned athletes was only introduced  by the IAAF, at the beginning of January 2004 following the furore caused by the THG scandal and now Chambers's case would appear to be one of the first to fall under this new regulation.