Ohuruogu officially back in favour

The televised British athletics season opens this afternoon with Christine Ohuruogu under suspension at home in London rather than under the spotlight in the Norwich Union Glasgow Grand Prix at Scotstoun Stadium. The 400m runner who struck Commonwealth gold last year is not free to return to the competitive arena until 5 August, yet the domestic powers that be want to see her back in a British vest at this summer's World Championships, which open in Osaka just 20 days later.

UK Athletics have also pledged to support the world-class quarter- miler in her quest to be cleared for Olympics selection next year.

Having missed three drugs tests in an 18-month period, Ohuruogu has been serving a 12-month suspension imposed by UK Athletics under the rules of track and field's world governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations. An appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against that penalty was rejected in April, but an appeal against a lifetime bar from Olympic selection is likely to meet with a more favourable result. Athletes found guilty of doping offences are automatically disqualified from Olympic selection by the British Olympic Association, but nine days ago the world triathlon champion, Tim Don, who last year served a three-month ban for three missed tests, was successful in his appeal for re-eligibility.

"We would support Christine in an application to the BOA to have the lifetime ban overturned," Ed Warner, the chairman of UK Athletics, said. "The Tim Don decision is encouraging. My own conversations with Simon Clegg [chief executive of the BOA] have not discouraged me either. So let's get her show back on the road on 6 August. "I would love, if she's physically and mentally fit - emphasis on both - to see her in the team for Osaka, because she is clearly of world-class capability, as evidenced by her previous performances. We're doing a lot to give her the support structure to get her into that position. We think she's a valuable talent. We believe that the tests she missed were innocent mistakes, as the Court for Arbitration in Sport finding suggested. ['This case can be viewed as a busy young athlete being forgetful,' was the official verdict.] Let's not lose that talent to the sport."

That talent looked in danger of being lost to track and field when the original ban was imposed in August last year. Ohuruogu, a linguistics graduate and former England Under-19 netball international, was left "utterly devastated and completely heartbroken". Ten months on, though, she is back on the training track and being nurtured towards the international fold with the encouragement of Dave Collins, the performance director of UK Athletics. "The incident obviously affected her," Collins said. "I think some of the coverage, of how she was portrayed, also impacted upon her. The word 'cheat' associated with your name is something no one would want to see."

Collins has spoken to Ohuruogu "a dozen times" and says "it's a strong possibility" that the 23-year-old will be in Osaka in August. "But I wouldn't want to give the impression that it's a done deal," he stressed. "We're looking to monitor her form and fitness and to see what happens in the women's 400m."

Ohuruogu already has a qualifying time for the 400m in Osaka: the 50.28sec she recorded in winning the Commonwealth title last March, beating Tonique Williams-Darling, the world and Olympic champion.

See how they run Norwich Union Grand Prix, BBC2 today 2pm

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