alt DRUGS CHEAT Linford Christie (pictured) has been chosen to carry the Olympic torch when it passes through London on April 6, it was revealed today.

 

The invitation to the disgraced 1992 Olympic 100 metres champion came from London Mayor Ken Livingstone but is neverthless a major embarrassment to London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe, a fierce critic of Christie, who tested positive for record levels of the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone in 1999.

 

The torch is in London for one day, and will be carried from Wembley to the O2 Arena.

 

The London leg of the relay is being organised by the Greater London Authority (GLA).

 

So far the GLA has confirmed three of the 80 names - Dame Kelly Holmes, newscaster Sir Trevor McDonald and actress Amara Khan but BBC London reported today that Christie has also been propsosed by Livingstone.

 

London 2012 refused to have anything to do with Christie during the bid process because they were fearful that his presence would tarnish its chances of hosting the Games.

 

Christie had previously rung up London 2012 to ask if he could run a leg of the torch relay before the 2004 Games in Athens but was turned down.

 

"Eventually 'they rang back and said they could not see a place for me, because they were really full up," he told The Guardian in an interview published in 2005. 

 

"They were so full up that they found some places for page three girls, or whatever, to carry the torch, but obviously not for Olympic champions."

 

Coe and Christie have been at odds since the former used his column in The Daily Telegraph in 2001 to condemn the latter as his ban was due to expire.

 

That led to a heated confrontation live on air on BBC Radio Five in February when Christie rung in to confront Coe.

 

Christie has always denied taking banned performance performance-enhancing drugs.

 

Nevertheless, he narrowly escaped being disqualified from the Seoul Olympics in 1988 after testing positive for the banned stimulant gingseng.

 

Christie's past has not stopped him being employed by sponsors of UK Athletics and the British Olympic Association as a mentor to promising youngsters tipped to succeed in 2012.

 

Each of the 80 runners in London, who include insidethegames founder and publiser Duncan Mackay, a long-time critic of Christie, will carry the torch for 250 metres.

 

Mackay has been invited by BOCOG, the organising committee for the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

 

LOCOG refused to comment.