Chambers Ends 2012 Quest

Dwain Chambers yesterday revealed that he will not be taking the British Olympic Association to court again, all but ending his dream of running in London in 2012. The controversial sprinter said that he cannot afford another legal battle over the BOA's lifetime ban on drugs cheats.

"I think the decision has already been made and I think I'll have to leave it alone," said Chambers. "Unless the BOA were prepared to change then maybe, but if they're not then we can't because we don't have the financial backing to go through something like that all over again. I can't think about lining up in London 2012 unless the BOA were dramatically to change."

Chambers, 30, who was banned for two years after testing positive for the anabolic steroid Tetrahydrogestrinone in 2003, failed in his high court bid in July to gain a temporary injunction against the BOA's bylaw in an attempt to run in Beijing.

Chambers might stand a better chance of overturning the ban in a full hearing - where witnesses might be called - but another court date is not going to happen. He said: "I don't want to put myself through it and I don't want to put the sport through it all over again. At the moment I just want to focus on the world championships next year and maybe then we can start looking ahead."

He remains Britain's leading sprinter. In March he won silver in the 60m at the world indoor championships in Valencia before he triumphed in the 100m at the Olympic trials in Birmingham in July. He is unlikely to be challenged on the domestic scene next year either, with the world championships in Berlin his main target, an ambition endorsed by the backing he received from UK Athletics' new head coach, Charles van Commenee, who said he would welcome him back.

Chambers' first target in 2009 will be the European indoor title in Turin in March. "I want to go hard on the indoors again and hopefully I'll get a few more races and repeat the kind of performances I did this year, but maybe this time with a gold medal," he said.