Sport 22-08-2000 Linford Christie Career Ends With Drug Ban who: Linford Christie what: Banned from Olympics by IAAF when: Yesterday snippet: "Linford Christie`s world was in ruins yesterday," reports Adrian Lee in The Express, "after he was labelled a drugs cheat by athletics` world governing body." The International Amateur Athletic Federation decided yesterday to uphold the two-year bans on Linford Christie, Gary Cadogan and Doug Walker for positive tests for the anabolic steroid, nandrolone, despite being cleared by UK Athletics following extensive medical research. "Christie was found to have the banned steroid nandrolone in his system after a 60-metre run for FUN at an indoor meeting in Dortmund on February 13 last year," recalls The Sun`s Vikki Orvice. "There is no right of appeal and he must now live with this slur on his character." Christie, the 1992 Olympic 100 metres champion and, says The Guardian`s Duncan Mackay, "arguably Britain`s greatest ever athlete" was further scandalised by the news that he has been dropped from the BBC team covering next month`s Olympic Games. "This is a totally unjustified slur on his reputation," said Christie`s solicitor yesterday. "Anyone who knows him and the contribution he has made to British athletics will not take it seriously." [... more]

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