Chambers preparing for London Games despite ban

Dwain Chambers of Britain poses after his Men's 60m final at the European Athletics indoor championships in Paris March 6, 2011.

LONDON (Reuters) - British sprinter Dwain Chambers is preparing for London 2012 despite a lifetime Olympics ban for doping.

Chambers won the 60 metres at Sunday's British trials for next month's world indoor championships in Istanbul and said afterwards that he was training hard for London in the hope that his ban would be overturned.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) meets on March 12 to determine the legality of the British Olympic Association's eligibility rule which bars athletes such as Chambers from competing at the Games after serving drug suspensions.

"I have to prepare and if the door opens then at least I am prepared and can compete to the best of my ability," the 33-year-old former European champion told reporters at the Sheffield event.

"That is in my mind but it's out of my hands. If it does not happen, then there are the European championships in Helsinki (in June)".

Chambers was given his lifetime Olympic ban, and a two-year ban from athletics, in 2003 after he was found to have used the banned anabolic steroid tetrahydrogestrinone, or THG.

He made a comeback to the sport and won 60m gold at the European and world indoor championships in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Patrick Johnston)