Chambers welcome in Montreuil, but no Robles

Controversial British sprinter Dwain Chambers has been invited to race at the Montreuil meet on the outskirts of Paris on June 11, organiser Jean-Claude Lerck confirmed on Tuesday.

Lerck said Cuban hurdler Dayron Robles, the Olympic champion and world record holder in the 110m event, would however not be racing as had been previously suggested.

Chambers, who has been officially shunned by organisers of Europe's biggest events due to his doping past, is set to race the 100m in a meet that is the first in a national series called the "Athlé Tour".

The 30-year-old was suspended between 2003 and 2005 after testing positive for the banned substance THG supplied by the notorious BALCO laboratory in San Francisco.

In a recently published book 'Race Against Me' he charts his transformation from talented young athlete into a self-confessed "walking junkie".

Chambers made his comeback to the sport earlier this year and went on to win the European indoor 60m title in Turin, a result which failed to sway the opinions of the organisers who do not want his name linked with their events.

Others, such as those who run the Uden, Holland, meet where Chambers will race on June 27, were unequivocal over the fact that Chambers has paid the price for doping.

"The rules on doping are clear: anyone who has served a punishment can continue competing," the Uden meet organiser Patrick van de Rijdt told the press agency ANP last month.

"I am an opponent of doping but I also think that everyone deserves a second chance."

 PARIS, Wednesday (AFP)