Chambers eyes return
Dwain Chambers is expected to make his Olympics return after an absence of 12 years when the squad is named.
Last Updated: 03/07/12 8:49am
Dwain Chambers is expected to make a return to the Olympic arena after an absence of 12 years when the British athletics team for London 2012 is announced on Tuesday.
In Sydney in 2000, Chambers finished fourth in the 100m, but has not featured in the Olympics since following his two-year suspension for systematic drug use and the imposition of the British Olympic Association's lifetime ban.
Earlier this year, however, the BOA's ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, clearing the 34-year-old to compete in a home Games which could well mark the end of his controversial career.
Despite not securing his place automatically, victory in the Olympic trials in Birmingham and his past record will prove enough for Chambers to gain selection.
Selection
Chambers initially wanted to chase the qualifying time required at the European Championships last week, yet was given the option of not competing in the individual event in Helsinki as UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee felt it would take "something incredible" from his rivals to negate his case for selection.
Such performances never materialised, meaning Chambers will join teenager Adam Gemili in the 100m, with the final place likely to go to James Dasaolu.
Van Commenee said: "I got confirmation (in Helsinki) that it was the right decision not to run Chambers and Dasaolu because the ones we did run didn't do much."
Chambers could also be joined in the squad by another athlete previously barred due to a drugs ban, with Carl Myerscough impressing Van Commenee by achieving a second 'B' standard in the shot just hours before the deadline. He found out a minor meeting in Estonia and caught a ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn late on Saturday night.
However, the selection of Chambers and Myerscough is unlikely to prove the most controversial aspect of selection, with Van Commenee bracing himself for a "heap of appeals" from desperate athletes.
Appeals
Van Commenee added: "You can appeal on whether facts have been overlooked or the panel has not adhered to the policy as published. So there is not much you can appeal against."
Any appeal must be lodged within 24 hours of the team announcement and then heard within 48 hours. The appeals panel consists of UKA chairman Ed Warner, UKA president Lyn Davies and an independent barrister.
The biggest cause for debate and possible appeals is by far the women's 800m, where Jenny Meadows, Marilyn Okoro, Emma Jackson, Jemma Simpson and Lynsey Sharp all hoped to be selected.
Sharp is certainly in the best form after her victory in the trials and silver medal in Helsinki, however she is also the only athlete without an 'A' qualifying time. Athletes with the 'B' standard can only be selected if no-one with the 'A' is chosen. In other words, picking Sharp means selecting no-one else.
Meadows, who has not raced once in 2012 but has the most impressive championship pedigree, said in Helsinki that she would appeal if not selected.
