Olympic champion Darren Campbell has said that he believes Linford Christie is the type of person that UK Athletics needs to help develop the sport in the country, and also reiterated his belief that the 1992 gold medal winner could never have taken drugs.

Campbell, speaking at the launch of the new Team GB website (www.teamgb.com) in London, said that it is time for Britain to stop relying on out-sourced or ill-qualified coaches to develop new talent, and suggested instead using the experience of former Team GB stars, like himself, and his former coach Christie.

"We have good coaches and good mentors over here," said Campbell.

"I know a lot of people don't necessarily agree with Linford Christie but if you want somebody who can prepare the athletes mentally to go out there and do battle then Linford Christie (can do it).

"To become an Olympic champion and to win Olympic medals you don't just train, there is stuff that you do away from thatyou need someone who guides you in a way so that you don't leave any stone unturned.

"That is where we sometimes go wrong because we expect coaches with a basic type of knowledge or who have never stood in a stadium with 120,000 to teach a young lad how to cope."

Christie has become something of a black sheep within British athletics since testing positive for Nandrolone in 1999 while in semi-retirement, but he has continually protested his innocence.

Campbell concurs that he finds it inexplicable that Christie would risk taking drugs so late in his career.

"Having being in the sport I don't understand how Linford Christie could have taken drugs," he said.

"He came back at a time when he was already wealthy, when he was already successful, when he already had TV work; he came back for a meeting where they were paying him to wave to the crowd.

"I don't understand why you would ruin everything like that, it doesn't make sense, and I think, until it makes sense, I just can't accept it.

"I know how many times I have been tested as an athlete and I know that was a tremendous amount, and I know how many times Linford Christie was tested as a athlete and that was even more than me, so to never have a problem whilst you are competing and then to retire at 37 and come back when you are 39 I don't see why you would risk it all for that. And I can only ever go with those facts that I know."

It is now nearly two years since Campbell controversially refused to do a victory lap with Dwain Chambers after winning the 2006 European Championships 4x100m final, but Campbell says that his relationship with the much embattled Chambers has continually been taken out of context and that his main problem has always been with British athletes, like Chambers, being sent off to America at a young age to work with suspect coaches.

"I think if people look back on the archives (they'll see) that I was one of the supporters of DwainI have always been clear that he was not solely accountable," he said.

"We have young athletes who have a lot of potential, and usually, when somebody has a lot of potential, people tend to see money and dollar signs.

"I think it is fair to say that if you can work with a sprinter who is at the top level in the world, then they can generate a lot of money.

"It has got to be advisors (who are to blame) because somebody like Dwain doesn't end up in America on his own.

"This is why for me - the important thing is that we learn the lessons about how to protect our young athletes. A similar thing could potentially have happened to Harry (sprint prospect - Harry Aikines-Aryeetey)

"I mean he went over to America and then we found out he was training with someone who was involved in the whole drugs scandal (Trevor Graham - Justin Gatlin's former coach)."

Campbell refused to say whether or not he felt Chambers should be free to compete at the Olympics but did say he hoped it would lead to a re-evaluation of the current rule structure.

"Rules are rules and that is the problem. We need clarity on the whole thing, and if nothing else, UK athletics will now have to take a long look at what they do about Dwain not running and stuff like that," he said.

"Unfortunately it is a different regime (it is the BOA that has banned Chambers) so I'm not really going to stand here and attack anyone because they are trying to make a difference, but when I made my stand two years ago, nobody spoke to me about why I felt so strongly about it. I was almost like an outcast."

Chambers said he feels that Team GB might come up just short in its bid for Olympic sprint medals in Beijing but did say that he believes that the talent is there to produce great things in the future if it is nurtured properly.

"I think we do very well (at the moment)," he said. "Lottery funding has helped a lot as it has allowed athletes to go over to warmer climates to prepare.

"If we can get the right coaches and mentors passing on their experiences then we can continue to produce good athletes and if we really get our house in order then we can dominate because we have the talent."

Seán Fay / Eurosport