Dwain Chambers?

[G1BB0]

he made a massive mistake, has no doubt suffered because of it but at the same time has learned his lesson, been punished and probably gone through a lot of personal turmoil.

Judge on current ability, if he is able to meet the qualifying criteria then fair do's.

Its easy as keyboard warriors to condemn but unless we have lived in their shoes under the same pressures to compete and perform then how can we judge?

in no way am I saying what he did was right but I am one who feels that people should be given a 2nd chance. Unless they are murderers/rapists etc but thats another topic.

 

[USER1999]

As long as there is a second chance, people will cheat like heck, knowing they have a route back in after one mistake.

In cheating, he has deprived others of their moment on the podium. A moment they might never have again. Yes, they get a medal through the post, but for an athelte who has trained for years to get a medal, this does not equate to getting it on the podium.

Has the cheating git ever given any of his sponsorship money back? Prize money? Paid for the kit he was given for nothing? No.

Ban him, and all like him. Hopefully it would lead to sport being cleaner, and the viewing public would know that the result they see today is not going to be over turned tomorrow.

 

[Snelly]

Totally agree with Murph.

 

[One Planer]

Totally agree with Murph.

Same here Snelly.

I also hear Gibbo's point about pressure, but that's no excuse to cheat.

 

[bladeplayer]

he made a massive mistake, has no doubt suffered because of it but at the same time has learned his lesson, been punished and probably gone through a lot of personal turmoil.

Judge on current ability, if he is able to meet the qualifying criteria then fair do's.

Its easy as keyboard warriors to condemn but unless we have lived in their shoes under the same pressures to compete and perform then how can we judge?

in no way am I saying what he did was right but I am one who feels that people should be given a 2nd chance. Unless they are murderers/rapists etc but thats another topic.

As long as there is a second chance, people will cheat like heck, knowing they have a route back in after one mistake.

In cheating, he has deprived others of their moment on the podium. A moment they might never have again. Yes, they get a medal through the post, but for an athelte who has trained for years to get a medal, this does not equate to getting it on the podium.

Has the cheating git ever given any of his sponsorship money back? Prize money? Paid for the kit he was given for nothing? No.

Ban him, and all like him. Hopefully it would lead to sport being cleaner, and the viewing public would know that the result they see today is not going to be over turned tomorrow.

Two excellent posts for and against . Can totaly see both points & they are well made , as G1BBO says its easy to judge on the outside , we dont know the input or pressure put on by coaches etc , the pressure to maintain his status in the sport as a livelyhood etc.. it doesnt make it right but if we were to ban every sports person who cheated in sum way there would be very few left competing ..

Murph makes a great point in depriving others their moment on the podium & their moment of fame & this bit bugs me also because they can never get it back .. must be heartbreaking to be 4th after all your effort , must be worse to know you were cheated out of it ..


I agree with a ban , maybe 4years , a general life ban is a bit OTT in my opinion ..

 

[Whereditgo]

Pretty clear in my eyes. He (and all other UK athletes for that matter) 100% know what the consequences of them taking drugs and subsequently being caught are and they balance that risk against the potential reward. So for anyone to then feel cheated out of an olympic selection place is the absolute height of hypocrisy.

The punishment is set and should remain as a lifetime ban!

What really makes me angry is the claims by athletes giving positive samples is that it must have been taken inadvertently in a cold remedy or the like! - NOT A CHANCE IN A MILLION!!!

I was given a list of all banned substances which I was told to hand to pharmascists or the like when purchasing any medicines etc. along with the phrase "I am an athlete and may be subjected to blood testing"












Tried everything on that damn list and still wasn't good enough! :rofl:

 

[Bigfoot]

I'm with Murph. Give cheats a second chance at a young age and it is no deterrent. Make them pay back their sponsorship too.