Chambers loses Beijing bid

London - British sprinter Dwain Chambers lost his bid to get a temporary High Court injunction on Friday against his lifetime Olympic ban, three weeks before the start of the Beijing Games.

London's High Court refused to grant an injunction against the British Olympic Association's bylaw which bans doping violators for life from the games. Chambers said he would not appeal the decision.

Chambers, who won the 100m race at last Saturday's British Olympic trials in 10 seconds, served a two-year ban after testing positive for the steroid THG in August 2003.

Britain has until Sunday to submit its final Olympic squad.

In his deliberation, Judge Colin Mackay said Chambers had little chance of winning a medal in Beijing and that it would be unfair to deny an opportunity for clean athlete to compete.

He added that the harmony of the team would be upset.

Mackay said Chambers' argument of restraint of trade would be unlikely to succeed at a full trial, even if he could argue that there are indirect financial benefits from appearing at the amateur event.

Frustration

"His 10-second time achieved last weekend is confronted by the fact that there will be nine other athletes in Beijing who have run a faster time this year," Mackay said.

Mackay noted with frustration that Chambers only issued the proceeding against the BOA at the "11th hour" on July 3, meaning that the time to assimilate the arguments was limited.

The arguments were digested in court in a one-day hearing on Thursday. They were earlier submitted in written form.

The BOA had argued that if Chambers succeeded, the British team's reputation would be tarnished and London's ability to deliver the 2012 Games would be impaired because sponsors would be unwilling to invest.

Chambers' lawyer, Jonathan Crystal, told the court on Thursday it was "an exaggerated position" and argued that his client's "redemption and rehabilitation" after testing positive for THG should be recognized.

Crystal said that not allowing Chambers to compete in Beijing was a restraint of trade, adding that he represented best chance of a podium finish in the 100 in Beijing.

Chambers briefly returned to the track in 2006 after serving his two-year ban and pursued an alternative - but ultimately unsuccessful - foray into American football.

Despite retuning to athletics in March and winning a silver medal in the 60 at the World Indoors, he had a one-month experiment with rugby league and after being released by the Castleford Tigers he pursued the legal route to Beijing.

Mackay ruled last Thursday that there is not enough time to hear the full case until after the Beijing Games, but it is unlikely the 30-year-old Chambers would have any need to pursue that.