Andy Holmes Set to Row Over the River Styx*

There once was a time which younger readers may find odd that Britain didn't turn up at international rowing regattas and expect to pick up medals. However, before Los Angeles in 1984 there was not a sniff of gold since the London Olympiad of 1948 for the rowers.

1984 saw the arrival of an Olympic giant Steve Redgrave but along with Adrian Ellison, the cox, Richard Budget and Martin Cross was the man that would be Redgrave's pairs partner to two World, two Commonwealth golds as well as a gold in the coxless and bronze in the coxed pairs in Seoul in 1988.

Andy Holmes was the man, who was then replaced by Matthew Pinsent, was the first to switch boats with Redgrave and help set him up for the gold at 5 successive games. However, the sad news is that after 17 years away from the sport before a recent return 51 year old has died from the bacterial infection Weil's disease, also known as leptospirosis. This is picked up from river water infected by urine of animals in the water.

As a tribute here are Andy's two Olympic gold medal performances.

1984



1988



Andy Holmes 1959-2010

* The River Styx is the mythological Greek boundary between Earth and the afterlife.

Frisbee Gains Status Better Than Wiff Waff

Boris Johnson (in)famously declared that Wiff Waff (aka Ping Pong or table tennis) was coming home to the London 2012 Olympics, while in Beijing 2 years ago.



Well as today he announced he was standing again for Mayor, in the hope of being on hand to welcome 'Ping Pong' home to the dinning tables of England [sic]. He may well have inadvertently announced a new sport. If we can get the IOC to ratify it even better. He said:

"I have more chance of being decapitated by a Frisbee [than becoming Prime Minister."

The frisbee flingers in Regents or Hyde Park or anywhere else in London now have a reason to practice. I mean what more noble cause than to lead to the election of the first headless Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Write to the IOC today and ask that Frisbee Decapitation of Boris gets full recognition, you know it makes sense.

Old Work Location Getting an Olympic Make Ove

Plans are under way to make Piccadilly Circus more pedestrian friendly. As someone who used to work at the foot of Shaftesbury Avenue (see picture) I look forward to the changes. Mind you judging by the foot and road traffic, plus the location of the shadows I cannot speculate what day of the week at about 1 o'clock this is meant to be, far too quiet.

The idea is to ease congestion in the area ahead of the Olympics (876 days away) not only is the Marathon course nearby. But on the 6th and 7th of August the Triathlon is in Hyde Park (nice to know I've probably run part of the Olympic course as part of the Imperial College relays), along with the 10km Open Water Swim. While from the 28th July until 12 August Horse guard's Parade will be ringing out to the sounds of spikes, digs and blocks instead of Guard's bands as the Beach Volleyball takes place.

One Kilometre of railings is to be removed. The roads to to return to two way and some of those leading to St James's Park, Horse Guards Parade and Pall Mall will be opened up. Many of these had been closed at one end and only accessible for pedestrians. But the Pedestrians are not to be missed out as improvements to crossing and central islands down Piccadilly and Pall Mall are to be introduced.

All in all it makes my summer time walk down Regent Street South to the Park for lunch seem somewhat more enjoyable.

It's Friday so...Winter Olympics

Today the winter Olympics kick off so how about a little look at some of those Olympic sports just not at they would be able to perform in that competition.

Of course we need that thing of beauty the BBC ident to kick us all off.



First up there is this video of Alexei Yagudin in 2005. I'm sure Wendy Fraser and Caron Lindsay with both appreciate the gratuitous shirt removal half way.



So moving on to the pairs and here we have the odd couple in 1993 at the World's gold medalist Kurt Browning and silver medalist Elvis Stojko 'paired' off with this.



Of course watching this it would be hard to believe Kurt Browning was once a World Champion, or then again maybe not.



Ok what about some British involvement. How about some Highland Ice Dancing from the British stars John and Sinead Kerr. Watch out for a rather unorhtodox lift that gets a gasp from the crowd at 2:41 into this and again at 3:01. Which seeing as my ex used to attend the same highland teacher as these two would be interesting to get her take on this.



So there you have it. Qualifying for the Ski Jumping is first up you can see that at 18:00 on the BBC Red Button, the Open Ceremonry kicks off live at 01:45 on BBC2 and the red button.

Is Cavendish DQ French Revenge for TeamGB on Track?

Here are some facts:

1. Thor Hushovd rides for the Cervelo Testteam in the Tour de France
2. In most of the bunch sprints he is not to be found on his own lead out man's wheel* but that of Mark Cavendish's team Columbia Highroad
3. Thor has yet to beat the speed of Mark Cavendish in a straight sprint to the line this Tour de France**.
4. On today's stage into Besancon the barriers are narrowing as the sprint gets towards the end instead of staying consistent; see here.
5. Mark Cavendish has always gone to the right when Mark Renshaw peels off to launch his final push to the line (Hushovd knows this see point 1 he's always in the prime spot to observe)
6. There have been occasions of leaning in sprint finishes in the past has not led to disqualification.
7. The head race commissaire has announced that once he makes a decision it is final. There is no right to appeal. However, a few days ago the morning after he made a decision that there was a split in the peleton he changed his mind overnight and reinstated 15 secs that many including Britain's Bradley Wiggins had been docked on the line.
8. This is the second incident in which a British cyclist in jersey contention has been penalised by French cycling officials in this years Tour.
9. France have repeatedly been losing out to Team GB cyclists including Wiggins and Cavendish on the track in recent years.
10. The Tour while under the auspices of the UCI is also somewhat a law unto itself at times (which is both good and bad at times).

One does wonder if it had been Tom Boonen against Hushovd whether a disqualification would have been the decision, or whether a reversal of line placings (an alternative penalty) would have sufficed, or even if the result would have held.

Why did the course at the end narrow so much? Could the race not have stopped further up the road if the road was wider there? Have the race officials noticed they have got the course wrong on this occasion but are afraid to admit their mistake? Does it have anything to do with the ongoing success of British cycling?

I may be a little cynical but both of the controversial line decisions in this weeks tour have affected British racers. Brad Wiggins was less that 20 metres behind Lance Armstrong, 5 positions in that 'split' 15 seconds may well have be enough to prevent him doing anything in the General Classification. On the last sprinters stage before the Champs Elysees was the finish made deliberately tighter on Cavendish's launch side, thus effectively ending the close Green Jersey contest?

UPDATE: Just like to say that a number of the anti-Cavendish comments on Twitter this evening are homophobic in nature. Our use of language really needs sorting out.

UPDATE 2: Here is what Robbie McEwen, an experienced Tour Sprinter who was also robbed of a final Green Jersey, had to say via Twitter:

18:32 Cav didn't really move much, barrier did but his looking over shoulder lining up Thor is what judges would have dq'd him for. full dq harsh

18:33 most they should have done if anything was reverse placings.

18:54 re:Cav DQ.Trying analyse impartially-both mates of mine.Calling it like i see it.Sprinting tactically is very fine line.I lost a green by DQ

18:57 if Cav hadn't had a look, he wouldn't been DQ'd I think. Fine line.again, total dq is OTT. shame to ruin a gd battle. gd luck to both

*Indeed does anyone know who that is?

**Barcelona where Thor did win beating Cavendish in the same group was a tough uphill finish.

1500 and the Hero Within

Yesterday I realised I had published the 1500th entry on this blog (it didn't seem that long ago since the millennium). 1500 was quite a significant number in my formative years.

I was never a sprinter when I was growing up, even at the age of 11 I was far better suited to the race around the circumference of my Primary School appox. 400m to the 50m sprint up the track. Sadly with a 5 metre lead in the qualifying I looked over my shoulder at the wrong point and twisted my ankle in a hole.

However, I'm digressing slightly as it was 1500 which for most of my secondary school career was the longest event on the menu. Of course in the 80s there was a great deal of British interest in the event there was Ovett v Coe in 1980 at Moscow, Coe v Ovett with minor role for Cram in LA in 1984. Then just as I finished my A levels shock of shock, Coe was omitted from the event for Seoul.

Coe had gone to Loughborough to study Economics and Social History. I applied to Loughborough as my first choice to study Economics and Accountancy. Who as an aspiring sportsman doesn't apply to the best equipped sporting university in the country. A reputation enhanced by its fastest ever graduate over the metric and imperial mile. Coe of course later did a masters in sports science at the University.

Coe of course then got involved on retirement from running in the politics of the sport, and eventually the politics of the country, although for the 'wrong' party. So he inspired me run maybe in more ways than one. After all as in sport there was an Ovett to shadow Coe why not in politics to.

Of course my athletics career eventually doubled the distance and put barriers in the way. Maybe the same is true of my political career trying to break through the allusion of two party politics. But Seb Coe was a childhood hero and apart from the party affiliation and some policy judgements still is.

Citius, Altius, Fortius...Oh Yuuuuuus

Swifter, Higher, Stronger may well be the Olympic motto but who'd have thought that it would come from the boudoir's of an Olympic hopeful to fund his bid to get to the games.

In New Zealand, where licenced prostitution is legal, Taekwondo hopeful Logan Campbell is running a brothel as a way to fund his return to the games in London 2012.

Probably a little closer to some of the ancient Greek original's practice than Baron Pierre de Coubertin envisaged when he restored the Olympic movement in 1896.

That Was the Year that Was 2008

Well I'm not posting this live, I'm future time stamping it to come up just before the end of the year. So what was 2008.

The Economy: A credit squeeze, became a crunch, became a full blown recession. Banks floudered in Ireland, Iceland, USA and then in Scotland both HBoS and the RBS hit trouble. The goverment bailed the UK banks out. The Americans did the same, then did it for car industry as well. Here the High Street will never be the same again with the closure of Woolworths and in what is almost a daily round of the latest chain to go into administration who know where we'll be buying our Christmas presents in a little under 12 months time.

Yes He Did: Of course the big political news globally was that America elected its first African American president in 3 weeks time the inauguration of Barack Obama will be a landmark event in a country still fighting segregationists, racism and outright hatred in the decade of my birth.

On the Subject of Presidents: As well as the American's electing a new President the Lib Dems also voted on their federal president. The media darling was Lembit Opik. If you believed the media and the hype from Team Opik he was the shoe-in. Of course we all know that take you eye of the ball and that skillful player will round you and head for the goal before you realise what is happening. And that is what happened to the Primary Coloured Campaign. A good and strong candidate was out there meeting the electorate rather than working out how next to get papped. So tomorrow after securing over 70% of the all party vote Ros Scott takes up the role that she was made for.

The Leader is Gone Long Live the Leader: A little over a year ago the UK wide Liberal Democrats Elected there new leader in Nick Clegg. These year saw the election of Tavish Scott in Scotland and Kirsty Williams in Wales succeeded Nicol Stephen and Mike German as the party leaders in those two countries.

Going for Gold: The GB & NI Olympic and Paralympic teams did better than even they might have hoped for 19 Gold, 13 Silver and 15 Bronze medals propelled the Olympic team into 4th in the medal table their goal for 2012. The Paralympians were second in their table with 42 Gold 29 Silver and 31 Bronze.

The Blogger is Back: To be perfectly honest I returned to blogging at the tale end of 2007. But 2008 saw the return really take off the comments in the sidebar indicate this blog has made a dramatic impact back to the Scottish Blogosphere. Indeed in the Total Politics lists for 2008 I was the 11th most popular Scottish Blog and 15th most popular Lib Dem blog, therefore as someone said in the year this has become the go to blog for Lib Dem takes on the Scottish Issues. And that dear reader is what I shall continue to do into 2009, whether there is a general election or not.

Who Would You Seek Advise from on Scotland's Sporting Legacy?

So Alex Salmond dreams of a Scottish Olympic Team got an unsurprising backing from Sir Sean Connery. Now I'm not saying I'd take much sporting advise from either man, maybe a line or club selection on a golf course from Sir Sean, but would avoid golf course location advise from Alex but then golf has only been an Olympic sport in 1900 and 1904.

No I'd far rather take advise on what is best for sporting success from those who have achieved it Chris Hoy or his fellow cyclist Craig MacLean or Allan Wells. To put some of their arguments in terms that Alex as an economist would understand it is about economies of scale. Wells uses such language when he points out that Scotland would without the coaches, facilities and resources provided by Team GB. McLean says it would be a 'nonsense' and 'backward step' to have a Scottish Team at the Olympics.

Hoy himself says that he would not have achieved his three gold medals if he was part of a Scottish set up. He said:

"There's nothing I love more than going home to Edinburgh but I haven't lived in Scotland for nine years.

"There just aren't the facilities to train there if there were, I would
live there. But like Craig MacLean and Ross Edgar who are the other Scottish
cyclists on the British team I have to be based in Manchester."

Ok the Edinburgh velodrome at Meadowbank is getting rundown and soon there would be a new Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow for the 2014 Commonwealth games but we also need the coaches, and who would be willing to take on the Scottish selection of athletes outwith a team GB set up.

Indeed if there had been a Scottish team this time around we would have had two less medals in Scotland as both Hoy's team sprint gold and Katherine Grainger's 3rd rowing silver would have been taken by a non-Scot taking up their place on the track or in the boat.

Salmond has weighed in to Hoy's attack by promising looking at investment in facilities for cycling. However, going back to Katherine Grainger where are the Scottish rowing facilities to match those in England. Scotland's best swimmers are also mainly based at pools where the top coaches are either in England or Wales. The GB taekwando are also based in Manchester and share the sports psychologists that so ably assisted the cyclists to such heights.

You see Alex you have opened up an economic black hole of you really want to restore Scottish pride and nationalism through sport and want to see the Saltire raised over and over again at the Olympics. There is not just the infrastructure for the venues there is the coaches, other staff etc behind our top sportspeople that you need to replicate.

End of Hiatus

After a week back in Northern Ireland watching Olympics, being used as a climbing frame and punch bag by my nephews and generally relaxing I am back in Scotland.

First well done to Team GB and NI at the Olympics 4th in the medal table, if we're counting Northern Ireland we can also lay claim to one of Ireland's bronzes. Gordon Brown is promising honours all round. Might be enough for me to wear out a few pairs of trainers between now and 2012 after all marathon heroes can be that little bit more mature than our divers or sprinters.

I see that the SNP have named Peter Grant leader of Fife Council to stand for them in the Glenrothes by election. Gordon appears to be delaying calling this one until the 6th November, day after Bonfire night do we smell gunpowder, treason and plot.

Oh and there was several bits of news about Margaret Thatcher. One about he dementia the other that Alex Salmond didn't mind her. In both cases things she'd probably be glad she'll soon forget.

Three Men Won A Gold

Yeah the Brits finally have put three men on the top of a medal podium in the Beijing Olympics on the first day of the track cycling as Team GB exploded unto the velodrome.

Jamie Staff got the qualifying round off to a flyer with the fastest opening 250 metres ever in the team sprint, allowing Jason Kenny to lead out Chris Hoy for the final 250 setting a World Record 42.950 secs to set the standard. They eased through the first round to face France in the final which they secured with a run of 43.128 over half a second up on the French.

Elsewhere in the velodrome Bradley Wiggins was quickest with an Olympic record in qualifying for the men's 4000m persuit with debutant Steve Burke a credible 5th. In the women's 3000m version Britain were 1st and 2nd with Wendy Houvenaghel and Rebecca Romero dominating proceedings.

Elsewere on the various bits of water the sailors are guarantted at least a silver and bronze medal going into tomorrow's match races as Ben Ainslie in the Finn and the Yngling girls finished far enough ahead of their challengers to make it a two horse race for Ben and at least a bronze for the Yngling crew with the Brits leading both standings. Paul Goodison also now heads the Laser class and Nick Dempsey has moved up to third in teh RS:X Windsurfing class.

Meanwhile in the rowing more British crews secured final places as both the lightweight men's double scull, Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter, and lightweight men's four, Richard Chambers, James Lindsay-Fynn, Paul Mattick and James Clarke. It makes 10 finals at the rowing lake that Britain will have representation.

Britainia really is doing rather well on and in water at this Olympics.

It's Team GB & Norn Iron

It was good to see Alan Campbell power over the last few hundred metres of the men's single sculls this morning for a number of reasons. Firstly he has only just recovered from knee surgery but also because his that oft forgotten part of Team GB's name. Yes the Coleraine lad was proud to remind viewers who were able to watch his post race interview with Sir Steve of the Five Golds that he was Northern Irish and wanted to thank the team at the Sports Council for Northern Ireland in Belfast.

Elsewhere Emma Pooley showed that she had learnt how to ride that circuit from the women's road race well when she secured the silver in the women's time trail of the finishing circuit she twice launched attacks over on Sunday. She finished behind and American called Armstrong, but we're quite sure that Lance hasn't undergone gender reassignment to compete as this was Kristin Armstrong who had ended the 23.5 km tough uphill then down again time trail 24 seconds ahead of the Brit. Pooely was 4 seconds ahead at the intermediate check at the Wall 10.8km in but as the commentators said due to her diminutive climbers stature she had to make up time on the climb for the hard work on the descent to the finish.

Yesterday individual bronze for Zara Philips' replacement Tina Cook (must be the name these games) and the team bronze were also won by the eventers at the equestrian centre added to the British medal tally.

British Manhood Finds Silver Lining

Over in Beijing the British men have finally set foot on a podium, ok a British man. And no not accidently as they slipped up moving past it to scurry off away from the chasing media hoardes. Having started the day in 4th place David Florence was leading with one man to come in the C1 Slalom event. However world number one Michal Martikan of Slovakia was last down and held on to his lead, leaving David to claim the Silver medal.

The female of the species will no doubt be claiming that with the surname Florence it is also another one of them on the podium. All I can say to that is "Boing, night night said Zebedee."

Just to please Jeff, Florence is an Aberdonian and therefore one of the British competitors whom he singled out to wish good luck to.

British Women Leading the Gold Rush

Oh yes plenty of jumping up and down on the sofa over the first few days of the Olympics. Although hopefully the neighbours weren't too disturbed by Mister Stephen's whoops at around 10:30 yesterday morning and even earlier this morning. Mister Stephen as an ex-athlete and still competitive sportsman really is a great olympic-phile he was even caught watching live archery this morning on interactive, whilst Rafa Nadal was another option.

However, Team GB&NI (have to give the full IOC recognised name) saw their 200th ever gold medal came after a great team performance in the women's cycling road race. Nicole Cooke was in a breakaway of five entering the last corner of the course, but had dropped off on team orders because of concerns over the wetness of the rain soaked course that a crash may happen. She made up the 20 metres of so she'd dropped behind on the climb to the finish to make up for coming fifth four years ago.

But she was quick to go and hug teammates Emma Pooley and Sharon Laws who had aided he win. Pooley had attacked on the climb on the first finishing circuit and again at the foot of the second and final climb. Which forced other countries to haul her back while Nicole sat and waited. Sharon had been on the ground twice through crashes but took her turns at or near the front to ensure that Nicole was ready for a final surge. With 5 kms to go Nicole found herself in the decisive break that was to stay ahead of the main field to the end thanks to the work her teammates had previously done and continued to do disrupting the chase.


Then this morning the first gold in the pool for GB since Aidrian Moorehouse, who was commentating, in 1984 and the first for a women competitor since Anita Lonsburgh in 1960 went to Rebecca Adlington. Like Cooke she came from behind at the end to snatch the women's 400m freestyle. Not even in the top 3 at the final turn behind America's Katie Hoff and teammate Jo Jackson. Hoff at 25 metres appeared to have gold sown up a whole body length if not more ahead of the two Brits who appeared to have sealed the minor medals but somehow the Brits kept coming at Hoff and on the final stroke Adlington for the only time in the race was ahead, winning by seven hundredths of a second. She only led the race for a mere fraction of a second but it was the vital fraction of time when it mattered.

Edinburgher Climbs to Different Bird's Nest in Beijing

Close to the Bird's Nest Olympic stadium in Beijing some very different creatures were seen perched at a great height this morning. Four members of Students for a Free Tibet unfurled a banner reading 'One World One Dream Free Tibet' high up a 120ft lamppost not far away.

Iain Thom from Edinburgh called the BBC from his mobile while up the lamppost to say:

"I'm here today because I've been a long-term Tibet activist and I feel
like now is a really critical time for Tibet.

"The Beijing Games have been used by the Chinese government as a
propaganda tool to whitewash their human rights record in Tibet."

He along with Lucy Fairbrother from Cambridge, and Americans Phill Bartell from New Jersey and Tirian Mink from Portland, Oregon have since been arrested.

A spokesperson for the Olympic committee said the protest was an "illegal gathering" adding:

"We want to express our strong opposition to this. China has relevant laws
regarding protests and gatherings. We truly hope that foreigners coming to visit
China will respect the relevant laws of China."

Does this mean that should any foreigner in China stumble across any Tibetan's trying to protest against their treatment they will be allowed to persecute, beat or shoot at the protester's before they are taken away into solitary confinement? Or is that not what the spokesperson wanted us to remember about the relevant Chinese laws.

What's in a flag?

OK to the Olympics at Beijing will not be allowing any regional flag etc if it is not part of the recognised country that participants are presenting. There goes the colourful array you'd expect in the cycling road races as the Basque or French departmental flags are a tradition at the Tour de France. Should an American senator turn up at the game would he not be allowed to wear a pin of their States flag only the star and stripes. You see what is black and white in China is grey for the rest of us.


Let's look at just one of the sports I've taken part in shall we, in this case we'll take bowls, not an Olympic sport sadly but one that will illustrate my point.


In bowls I have won titles with the world North Irish in the title. Plus I've represented the Northern Irish Civil Service therefore this would be the flag:

But in the same year I've also won tournaments with the word Irish in them and reached the later stages of Irish indoor championships which I've I'd won through would have meant me representing under this flag:

As a Civil Servant I actually won a British title therefore this flag:

Bowls is also one of those sports where your nationality is decided by the affiliation of the club side that you play for rather than you own therefore I've also be eligible to play, if I'd been or ever will be selected under these flags as well.

Now I could have also represented two of those flags at the Olympics, which would have left me with a potential dilemma should I have gold medalled at say Beijing, where I'd have only been able to celebrate wrapped in my national flag. For as you can see I'm more diverse than the criteria for the 2008 games would allow me room to be me.

Of course the real issue is that China do not want to be reminded or for the world to be shown this flag:

or this one:

You see China wishes it was homogeneous but fortunately for us, sadly for Beijing, it isn't. Therefore this Olympics is being held under a set of restrictions that try to fit us into boxes just like the Citizens of the world's most populace country without consideration that we're not all the same.

We are individuals of this world as are the athletes and supporters heading to Beijing and the citizens of China. Each deserves to have their human rights recognised even if that means not being wholly part of the nation the IOC designates them as.

Uighur Unrest in Lead Up to Games

Sixteen Chinese policemen have been killed in the western Muslim Xinjiang region days before the opening ceremony at the other end of the country in Beijing. The attack on a border outpost in Kashgar, Kashi in Chinese, is close to the Turkmenistan border and is the latest terrorist act after a series of incidents claimed by the Turkmen Islamic Party in the past month.

The Chinese repression of the Uighurs is often overlooked by the far more high profile, media friendly, campaign for freedom in Tibet, but is another example of China's continuing appalling human rights record which it promised to clean up before the Olympics come to town this Friday. Sadly the IOC has not held China to its promise for improvement in this area since awarding it the Games of the 29th Summer Olympiad.

The Uighurs are a Muslim people who have been suffering religious suppression under the Chinese regime in the duel names of anti-separatism and counter-terrorism. Sadly the Chinese authorities appear to have been using the post 9-11 fear of Islamic extremists to persecute all Muslims in the region irrespective of activity even if totally peaceful. About have of the detainees being held in Xinjiang's re-education camps are there because of engaging in alleged illegal religious activities. However, the state control over religion in the is as harsh as in the 70s and 80s and the net is so tight that almost anyone can be detained under such guidelines at the whim of the authorities.

Many of the Uighur may well be becoming more militant as a result of the suppression, as with those other groups that China is overlooking and suppressing. So therefore with the worlds media gathering on China and with this attack in an outlying region there must be some concern as to what may happen nearer the Olympic venues from the various repressed groups seeking to draw attention to their causes. Chinese authjorites say they are prepared for action should any threat arise in Beijing, but one wonders just what sort of action that will entail knowing China's past record in such situations.

A Tale of Two Drug Cheats

Yesterday Dwain Chambers took his case to the High Court to try and get an injunction against the British Olympics Association bye law, which state that any Athlete since 1992 to have cheated using drugs is ineligible for selection to the GB & NI Olympic Team for life. Today he will get the verdict of that court. Meanwhile across the Channel is news that the third and most prominent rider of this years Tour Ricardo Rico was excluded, banned and arrested by French authorities for using EPO.

Let's look at these two stories from the same day. Rico was a promising young rider, he actually was leading the young rider classification and had won two stages this year before his positive test came back. He will now find it hard to gain employment in a sport that is doing its best to be seen to be beyond suspicion, like the other two who were tested positive so far on this years tour, he had been targeted by the new system that compares irregularities against a norm blood sample stored by the sports anti-doping authority.

He is in a team sport and therefore unlike Chambers need to be employed to take part in his sport, once he serves his ban it is unlikely that this may happen as Astana were excluded from the premier cycle race this year because of a past history of doping, despite having the defending champion on their team. If Chambers wins an injunction today it is a travesty. Sport is trying to clean up their image in athletic, cycling, even golfers now being tested in the hope of gaining Olympic accreditation. Therefore Dwain should do the honourable thing and accept his ban for his past behaviour so that we can throw aside any doubt over his or a relay team's performance in a GB & NI vest at the highest level.

Chambers Knew the Law

In 1992 I still held some hope of getting fit again to possibly challenge for Olympic selection. That was also the year that the British Olympic Association passed their eligibility bye-law which renders any athlete found guilty of a doping offence, from that date on, ineligible for selection to the Team GB.

Dwain Chambers in 1992 was 14 and therefore was yet to consider just how close he may have been to senior, never mind Olympic selection for his country. Therefore throughout his entire senior career he knew that the bye-law he is challenging in court this week was in place. Even when he was taking performance enhancing drugs he was aware that if found out his eligibility would be taken away.

Over the weekend we held the 2008 Olympic trials and chambers won the 100m in 10 seconds flat. A less than 3 years after he was banned by the IAAF. Sue Barkers two sparring partners Colin Jackson and Jonathan Edwards had their own opinions on the ban and these weeks inevitable court case after Dwain's success. Colin was of the opinion that the bye-law was clearly known by all including Chambers. It wasn't protested before by anyone who might be affected and then only rarely by those who have been affect. David Millar accepted his fate and knew he would never be able to pull on an Olympic vest again. Millar, the cyclist, was far more voluntarily forthright about drugs than Chambers was who almost at the last minute helped with further enquiries when he saw it as a a way to possibly sway a judgement in his favour.

Edwards on the other hand argued the case for a redemptive second chance, but only with a condition that the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and the other international bodies came down harder themselves of offenders. He argued for a 4 or 5 year initial ban, which as he pointed out would act as far more of a deterrent than the current 2. It would show that the world of sport really wanted to get clean. Then after that period if the athlete still wanted to compete, and was still good enough to qualify there should be nothing in their way to prevent it.

Despite all the drugs-free toil I went through I would have to agree with Edwards. A longer initial ban would act as an initial deterrent. It would also make it harder for someone caught cheating to maintain their level of fitness for the period of the ban to get back. They really would have to be determined to come out fighting. However, it would give a chance for the truly repentant people like David Millar to have a chance to make amends, I can see him still racing in 2012 and possibly up for being part of the GB team in London. He is an example of user turned advocate against in the best sense, I'd rather see Millar given a second chance than the chancer Chambers.

Off the Mark

Yippee! Mister Stephen was jumping on thge sofa last night for the first time in 6 years a Brit won a stage at the Tour de France.

In recent times it has either been as a time trialist like David Millar or Chris Broadman, or as a part of a breakaway as happened with Sean Yates. But when you are the world madison champion the bunch finish of a long flat stage in le Tour is nothing to get too worked up about. So Mark Cavendish (on the right) saw off experienced tour sprinters Oscar Freire, Erik Zabel and Thor Hushovd to see his first stage win in this race to go with his two in the Giro d'Italia earlier this year.

It will go some way to make up for this disappointment he faced last year when he crashed on the aproach to Cantebury when he wanted to start his Tour career with a win on home soil.

The 23 year-old is set to team up with Bradley Wiggens for the maddison in
Beijing next month but he is likely to see out the tour first, maybe hoping to win on the Champs Elysées. That hold no worried for Rod Ellingworth Team GB's cycling coach who earlier this week told the Times:

"I want him to finish the Tour and he does, too. He’ll gain a lot from that in terms of experience and also form ahead of the Olympics. Am I worried about the effect that three weeks on the road will have on his track form ahead of the Olympics? No. He’s so good anyway — his speed, his cadence, his ability to ride the track — that it all comes automatically to him."