It was reported tonight that Dame Kelly Holmes and Sir Steve Redgrave are among 200 signatures on a petition to "uphold the British Olympic Association (BOA) by-law on doping", according to Pete Gardener, the chief executive of the British Athletes Commision (BAC), an organisation funded by UK Sport, a Government agency currently in charge of anti-doping.

 

Chambers is set to go to the High Court this week to challenge the British Olympic Association's (BOA) ban imposed following his positive test in 2003 for the designer steroid Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG).

 

Sir Steve and Dame Kelly are among 200 athletes who have signed the petition initiated by the BAC.

 

Chambers, whose two-year ban expired in 2005, yesterday clocked 10.06sec in the 100 metres at a meeting in Germany, well inside the Olympic qualifying mark.

 

The petition says: "The core foundation of the Olympic Movement is its values of fair play, respect and friendship.

 

"As Olympians we are the custodians of those ideals and any athlete who has taken performance enhancing drugs has not respected their worth.

 

"The highest accolade for any athlete is to be an Olympian and we believe that allowing drug cheats the privilege of competing at the Olympic Games for Team GB is wrong."

 

Sir Steve, winner of Olympic rowing golds at five consecutive Games, added to his signature by commenting: "Every athlete that competes for Great Britain knows the British Olympic Association's rules.

 

"If an athlete takes the risk of cheating they have to accept the penalties that go with this."

 

Cyclist Chris Hoy, who has won two cycling medals including a gold in Athens four years ago, also added a note to his support, saying: "To remove this by-law would, in my opinion, be a huge step backwards in the fight against doping in sport.

 

"In addition to fighting this challenge, I believe our efforts should also be focused on persuading the IOC that all nations wishing to compete in an Olympic Games should have a similar policy too."

 

Gardener, a former Olympic rower, denied to insidethegames that the release of the petition, the day after Chambers achieved the qualifying time that will trigger the legal action, was aimed specificially at the 30-year-old sprinter, a former ambassador for London's bid to host the 2012 Olympics.

 

Gardener told insidethegames: "This isn't about Dwain.

 

"It's not a witch-hunt.

 

"It's about the by-law.

 

"A lot of the athletes who are supportive of the by-law feel Dwain has been unfairly villified.

 

"He's served his time.

 

"He should be rehabiliated.

 

"There's no reason why he can't be put back into his sport.

 

"But the overwhelming majority of atheltes are in support of the by-law.

 

"It's not athletes being against Dwain Chambers.

 

"But we did it to support the BOA.

 

"They are the one's who are ultimatley going to have to defend the by-law.

 

"We've done as much as we can to help them."

 

Nick Collins, Chambers' lawyer, refused to comment when contacted by insidethegames.

 

The BOA were also unavailable to comment.