You are in > manchester.com  > News > Chambers 'optimistic' about going to Beijing in GB team

Rugby League

Chambers 'optimistic' about going to Beijing in GB team

31/03/2008

Sprinter Dwain Chambers claims he is still "optimistic" about competing for Great Britain in the 2008 Beijing Olympics this summer.

A British Olympic Association by-law prevents Chambers from being named in the team for the Games as he is a convicted drugs cheat and is therefore banned for life.

He served a two-year drugs ban for taking the restricted steroid THG, but has since returned to athletics and won a 60m silver medal at the World Indoor Championships in Valencia earlier this month.

At a Castleford Tigers press conference - where the 29-year-old was unveiled to start a month-long trial with the rugby league club - Chambers said he still held out hopes of going to China in August and is "not ruling out" London 2012.

"I remain optimistic about going to Beijing and we will decide about a legal challenge [of the BOA ruling] over the next few weeks," he said.

"I would like to get to Beijing - I'm getting on and this may be my last chance. The Olympics is the pinnacle [of competitive sport]."

Chambers' solicitor Nick Collins explained: "It's always been a very realistic aim we will be going [to Beijing].

"There's been some very encouraging comments from people outside the BOA saying they have no problem with Dwain.

"We wouldn't take [an appeal] on if we didn't think there would be a reasonable chance of success. It's likely."

The Tigers, bottom of the Super League and with a threadbare squad, have taken Chambers on a trial basis to see if he can adapt to the contact sport.

It is the second such activity Chambers has taken on, after he also made inroads into the early stages of an NFL career before his hopes were ended in a spring training camp last year because of injury.

"The only football experience I've had was when I was playing American football last year and the only experience I've had of rugby was when I was doing a photo shoot the other day with a ball in my hands," admitted the sprinter, who is likely to be deployed as a fleet-footed winger.

"But I'm here to learn and I'm confident about what I can achieve.

"I'm a tough nut and I know about the risk, but I'm going to go in and learn the ropes and see where I fit in best."

Castleford coach Terry Matterson admitted his team's current injury crisis means Chambers could play a full professional game just a few days after his first few training sessions in the sport.

"He hasn't played before so I'm not too sure how he'll do, but nothing ventured nothing gained," Matterson said.

"We only had 17 players yesterday and we lost two with injury and Dwain obviously will be available for Sunday so there is a good chance of him playing."