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Dwain Chambers

Dwain Anthony Chambers (born 5 April 1978) is a British track sprinter. He has won international medals at World and European levels and is one of the fastest European sprinters in the history of athletics. His primary event is the 100 metres, with a best of 9.97 seconds, which ranks him fifth on the British all-time list. He is the Former European record holder for the 60 metres and 4×100 metres relay events with 6.42 seconds and 37.73 s respectively.

Chambers ran a 100 m world junior record of 10.06 s in 1997 and became the youngest ever world medallist in the event at the 1999 World Championships, taking the bronze. On his Olympic début at the 2000 Sydney Olympics he was the best European performer in fourth place. He broke the 10-second barrier twice at the 2001 World Championships. In 2003 he received a two-year athletics ban after testing positive for THG, a banned performance-enhancing drug and was stripped of the 100 m European title and record he achieved in 2002.

Chambers returned to competition in June 2006 and won gold with his teammates in the 4×100 m at the 2006 European Championships. He tried other sports, including a spell with the Hamburg Sea Devils of the NFL Europa league and a rugby league trial with Castleford. Sprinting success came over 60 m when he won silver at the 2008 World Indoor Championships, gold at the 2009 European Indoors, and became world champion at the 2010 World Indoor Championships.

Due to his doping ban, he was barred from the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, and much of the European racing circuit, from 2006 to 2012. The Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned his lifetime Olympic ban, deeming it non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code, and he competed in the 2012 London Olympics. He produced a ghost-written autobiography with writer Ken Scott, Race Against Me, in 2009.

Still competing at the age of 45, he set a new indoor M45 60m world record and reached the semi-finals in the UK Athletics Indoor Championships. Outside of Athletics, he is an athletics coach and public speaker.

He is of Afro-Caribbean- Jamaican descent and has two sons with his partner Leonie Daley.

Early life and career
Chambers was born in Islington, and raised in Finsbury Park, London. Running was a part of his family life: his older sister Christine won the senior 100 metres Finals at the English Schools Championships in 1986 and 1987 and competed in the European Athletics Junior Championships. As a schoolboy he was coached by Selwyn Philbert who devoted himself to the young sprinter. Chambers first athletic success came at the 1994 English Schools' Athletic Association Championships, where he won the boys' intermediate 100 m race with a time of 10.64 seconds. International medals followed at the 1995 European Junior Championships, at which he won the 100 m and the 4×100 metres relay. He defended these titles at the 1997 European Junior Championships, and set a then world junior record in the 100 m with a time of 10.06 s.

Chambers transitioned into the senior ranks soon after, taking the 100 m silver medal behind his British teammate Darren Campbell at the 1998 European Championships. He achieved a new personal best in September at the 1998 IAAF World Cup with a run of 10.03 s for third place and won a relay gold medal. At the 1998 Commonwealth Games he was a 100 m semi finalist and set a games record as part of the 4×100 m relay team. His ability attracted the attention of former sprinter and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Mike McFarlane, who became his coach. He came first in the 100 m in the 1999 European Cup, then at a meet in Nuremberg he became only the second European sprinter (after Linford Christie) to break the ten second barrier with a time of 9.99 s. Fellow British sprinter Jason Gardener scored a time of 9.98 s in Lausanne soon after, becoming the third Briton to break the barrier. In spite of this, Chambers remained some distance behind his North American counterparts.

Seville World Championships to Sydney Olympics
In his first major outing on the world stage, Chambers attained a new personal best at the 1999 World Championships in Seville, registering a time of 9.97 s for third place in the 100 m final. This made the 21-year-old the youngest ever World Championships 100 m medallist. North Americans dominated the event as Maurice Greene and Bruny Surin took first and second place respectively, with record runs of 9.80 s and 9.84 s, respectively. The British sprint team Chambers, Gardener, Campbell and Marlon Devonish performed well in the 4×100 metres relay event as runners-up in a time of 37.73 s behind the US team led by Greene. World record holder Maurice Greene was hitting his peak, winning three gold medals in Seville. However, at 21 years old, Chambers had achieved more than Greene had at that age: Greene's best was 10.08 s in 1996 and he had never reached a major final.

With the 2000 Sydney Olympics approaching, Chambers studied the technique of other sprinters. In an interview with BBC journalist Tom Fordyce, Chambers commented on the stamina Greene and Surin had gained from running in the 200 metres event and Jason Gardener's improved acceleration through running the 60 metres event. He experimented with distances at the beginning of 2000, sprinting over 50, 60 and 200 m in various competitions. He set a personal best of 6.55 s in the 60 m event in Ghent in February. A hamstring injury caused him to miss six-weeks of training and when he returned his 100 m performances were lacklustre. He finished ninth at the Golden Gala in Rome with a slow time of 10.41 s and was seventh in a tame 10.30 s at the London Grand Prix, results that led him to consider quitting the season altogether. A late rejuvenation at the British Olympic trials guaranteed his selection as he snatched first place with 10.11 s (just one hundredth of a second ahead of Darren Campbell). Victory against in-form world record holder Maurice Greene in Gateshead raised Chambers' confidence and he stated his aim to take home a medal from the Games.

The 2000 Sydney Olympics saw Chambers come close to the podium. He easily qualified through the heat stages and achieved a season's best of 10.08 s in the 100 m final finishing fourth behind Greene, Ato Boldon and Obadele Thompson. Chambers was the best European 100 m performer, but after disqualification in the relay he left the games without a medal.

Edmonton World championships
He made his fastest opening to a season in 2001 by winning the 100 m for his club Belgrave Harriers at the European Clubs Cup with a meet record time of 10.12 s. At the Amateur Athletics Association (AAA) trials in Birmingham his run of 10.01 s was the fastest ever wind-legal time recorded in Britain by a British sprinter. Chambers ran with consistency in the summer of 2001: he won at the Seville Grand Prix in 10.01 s and finished third in ten seconds flat at the Athletissima meet. In the run up to the 2001 IAAF Edmonton World Championships Chambers compared his own performances to the British record holder: "I am very consistent in the 10.00s this year, and that bodes well for the Worlds. If you are running as fast as Linford Christie in his prime, it gives you a lot of confidence."

Chambers also competed over 200 m and a personal best run of 20.31 s earned him selection in both sprints for the World Championships. In an interview with Tom Fordyce, Chambers stated that Maurice Greene's strong presence and mind games undermined the competition both physically and mentally. "You have to get out in front of him and hold on for dear life" he said of the world record holder.

Chambers broke the ten second barrier twice in the 2001 World Championships with a personal best of 9.97 s in the quarter-finals and a run of 9.99 s in the final. This was not enough for a medal in a strong race which featured five sprinters running under ten seconds and saw Greene defend his title. Chambers was later upgraded to fourth place after silver medallist Tim Montgomery tested positive for banned substances. A hamstring injury in the final ruled him out of the 200 m event. Chambers ended his season at the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, and finished in first place in the absence of an injured Greene, who commentated on his European rival's victory.

2002 European champion
Chambers' coach Mike McFarlane struggled with the workload of full-time training. Frustrated by the distance between himself and the top sprinters, Chambers decided to relocate to California to work with Ukrainian coach Remi Korchemny and nutritionist Victor Conte. After parting ways with American sprinter Tim Montgomery, Conte looked to Chambers to fill the athlete's berth. In the run up to the year's major events, Chambers was in fine form and recorded a 200 m personal best of 20.27 s in Athens on 10 June 2002. Montgomery, impressed by Chambers' training regime, tipped the Briton to win the gold at the forthcoming 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England.

He won the 100 m at the Commonwealth Games trials in a season's best of 10.03 s, then equalled Linford Christie's record of 10.04 s at European Cup, where he led the British team to victory as team captain. Victories over Maurice Greene followed at Oslo's IAAF Golden League meeting and in Sheffield with a wind-assisted 9.95 s. He was the favourite for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, but Chambers faced stiff competition from British newcomer Mark Lewis-Francis who was finishing fractions of a second behind him. Chambers won all his preliminary races and reached the final, along with Lewis-Francis and Jason Gardener,  but he suffered a cramp mid-race and ended up in last place. The English sprinters had the three slowest times in the final, with Lewis-Francis also beset by injury.

After Commonwealth disappointment on home turf, Chambers won gold medals in the 100 m and 4×100 m relay at the 2002 European Championships in Munich, setting a championship record of 9.96 s.  Chambers recorded a time of 9.94 s at the Weltklasse Zürich meeting, again beating world record holder Greene. He finished the season by equalling Linford Christie's European record at the 2002 IAAF Grand Prix Final. His run of 9.87 s with a maximum allowable wind of +2.0 m/s left him second to Tim Montgomery, who set a world record of 9.78 s. Chambers received the 2002 European Athlete of the Year trophy for his achievements on the track that year.

2003 World championships
Chambers began the 2003 season with a grandiose statement – namely that he would lower the 100 m record to 9.65 s. After recovering from a minor injury he suffered in January, Despite claims he could also beat the 60 m indoor record, his form was poor and he failed to pass the heats at the 2003 British Grand Prix, finishing fourth in a time of 6.68 s. He was beaten by Mark Lewis-Francis by a hundredth of a second at the trials for the IAAF World Indoor Championships, narrowly missing out on selection with a time of 6.59 s.

Chambers announced that he was to part with trainer Mike McFarlane in favour of a permanent relationship with Ukrainian coach Remi Korchemny. The sprinter started the 100 m season modestly, finishing third and fourth in Modesto and Eugene, respectively. Chambers beat Montgomery in Glasgow in June, running a stadium record of 10.15 s into a headwind, and qualified for the World Championships by winning the AAA trials.

His season's best came under unusual circumstances at the British Grand Prix – due to a system malfunction he was initially timed by hand at dead on ten seconds, which was amended to 9.96 s after video evidence was consulted. He could not match that form at the World 100 m final: Kim Collins, Darrel Brown, Darren Campbell, and Chambers all finished within a split second of each other and Chambers was adjudged to have finished fourth. Chambers squandered his anchoring lead in the 4×100 m relay, allowing Joshua J. Johnson of the United States team to beat him to the finish line. In spite of his close fourth and a relay silver medal, there was a sense of disappointment in the press that Chambers' record breaking claims and gold medals had not materialised.

Doping ban
A sample for an out-of-competition drugs test that Chambers had provided in Germany on 1 August 2003 was re-examined in October and subsequently tested positive for banned substances. The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) were investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO); the workplace of both Chambers' coach Remi Korchemny, and nutritionist Victor Conte. Both men faced charges of distributing illegal drugs to athletes in the United States. The BALCO Scandal uncovered drug use in a wide range of sportsmen and women, including sprinters Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery.

Chambers claimed that his new coach had introduced him to Conte as a way of providing him with specialised 'nutritional supplements' – which he took by putting a few drops of liquid under his tongue. Conte had helped develop a type of anabolic steroid called THG, or tetrahydrogestrinone, at BALCO. After Chambers discovered that he had tested positive for drugs he sent his lawyer to meet Conte and make inquires about the supplement he had been ingesting. Conte assured him that all the substances were IAAF compliant.

After further investigation, it was revealed on 22 October 2003 that Chambers had tested positive for the banned steroid THG. Analysis of his backup sample also tested positive and the outcome was confirmed on 7 November 2003, making Chambers the first person to test positive for the new drug. Chambers was suspended the same day with an independent UK Athletics tribunal pending. The disciplinary hearing on 24 February 2004 resulted in a two-year ban from athletics, backdated to begin on 7 November 2003. He was also banned for life from the Olympics, and stripped of the medals he had won since mid-2002, after admitting that he had taken THG from that date. Chambers' 2002 relay gold medal performance was erased, costing teammates Darren Campbell, Marlon Devonish and Christian Malcolm their medals in the process. Chambers was also ordered by the IAAF to pay back his earnings from the period of his athletics career that was affected by his drug abuse.

Conte claimed that rival coach Trevor Graham had revealed the drug to US testers, acting "purely out of competitive jealousy" as Chambers was challenging Graham's trainees; Montgomery and Greene. Chambers denied that he had any knowledge that the substance he was taking was banned and claimed he was deceived by Conte over its true use. However, he contradicted his statement in a later interview, saying that he had major suspicions that he was using banned substances but was too naïve and lacking in self-respect to act otherwise. By Chambers' own admission in 2008, in a letter by his supplier Conte to British anti-doping chief John Scott, THG was not the only substance he had used during his career. In his confession he admitted to the use of epitestosterone cream, EPO, HGH, insulin lispro, modafinil and liothyronine.

Banned from competition, Chambers sought alternative commercial outlets for his athletic prowess. He had an unsuccessful American football try-out with the San Francisco 49ers, hoping to emulate Renaldo Nehemiah. He drifted on to the celebrity circuit, appearing on British reality television series Hell's Kitchen in May 2004. However, Chambers had little interest in the show and soon chose to leave. He appeared in neither sporting events nor television programmes for 18 months.

Return to athletics
Chambers began training in Jamaica in late 2005 in preparation for the athletics season. He faced new challengers in the 100 m as Maurice Greene was no longer a dominant force and Jamaican Asafa Powell was the new world record holder. Chambers began working with Glen Mills, coach of Caribbean sprinters Kim Collins and Usain Bolt. The drug suspension had expired in November but he needed to pass four mandatory drugs tests in order to gain clearance to compete with the IAAF. His comeback was further delayed as he gave an interview with the BBC revealing he began using drugs at the beginning of 2002, not since August 2003, as he had claimed to the IAAF. After further disclosure (that took away his European 100 m gold medal and invalidated his European record of 9.87 s), Chambers was cleared to compete on 10 June 2006, although his return was dependent on an agreement to repay prize money he won while using banned substances. He returned to competition on 11 June 2006 at the British Grand Prix and took third in 10.07 s, behind Asafa Powell who equalled his own world record. Chambers stated that his training regime with Bolt had helped him make a strong opening performance despite a long absence from competition. The result placed Chambers at the top of the British rankings and was the second fastest time by a European sprinter in 2006.

Chambers lamented the effects of his drug use and noted the irony that the drugs did not do much to improve the consistency of his performances. On his return to international competition his times were significantly worse than he achieved prior to drug use: in the 100 m final at the 2006 European Championships, Chambers ran a sub-par 10.24 s and finished in fifth place. He was part of the gold medal-winning British 4×100 m team, but Darren Campbell, who was angry about losing his 2002 and 2003 relay medals due to Chambers' ban, refused to join the team in a celebratory lap. After the competition, Chambers again expressed an interest in switching to American football, and completed a week-long NFL Europa training camp in Cologne that November.

American Football
Chambers signed for BAFA National Leagues side Farnham Knights in 2005, After attending a series of NFL Europe training camps,  he gained a contract with German NFL Europa side Hamburg Sea Devils in March 2007. Following news that Chambers was receiving new, legal nutritional supplements from Victor Conte, the Hamburg Sea Devils confirmed that Chambers would undergo a vigorous drug testing regime.

Chambers reflected on drug use in athletics in an interview with Olympic gold medallist Sir Matthew Pinsent for the BBC's Inside Sport programme. Chambers claimed there would always be athletes using performance-enhancing drugs because drug testers did not keep pace with advances in science and that athletes who took drugs had an immense advantage over those who remained clean. Chambers was roundly condemned for his comments in the interview by both the press and his former colleagues in the athletics world, including Sir Steve Redgrave, Mo Farah, and Sebastian Coe.

Chambers' American football career was brought to a standstill when a stress fracture injury on his right foot ruled him out for the season. The situation worsened further when the NFL closed the European league on 29 June 2007 leaving Chambers jobless. He returned as a TV personality on reality television show Cirque de Celebrité in October but was unpopular with the public and subsequently voted off.

Athletics again and rugby league
Following the collapse of the NFL Europa franchise, Chambers made a second return to athletics in early 2008. Competing in the 60 m indoor final at the Birmingham Games in February 2008, he finished with a time of 6.60 s, setting a new meeting record. UK Athletics chief executive Niels de Vos initially banned Chambers from competing in the trials for the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships but, after the IAAF overruled the decision, Chambers won the event and selection. UK Athletics stated that committee was "unanimous in its desire not to select Dwain" but were forced to by the selection criteria, saying they would have preferred to send younger athletes eligible for the Olympics.

At the World Indoor Championships 60 metres final, Chambers won a silver medal and recorded a new personal best of 6.54 s to take second behind Olusoji Fasuba. The performance did not sway opinion: Chambers continued to encounter extensive criticism within athletics. Promoters did not invite him to key athletics events, Eddie Kulukundis – who had supported Chambers earlier in his career – refused to sponsor the sprinter,  and the British Olympic Association (BOA), prevented him from competing in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. To return to the track Chambers had to rely on the money he received from his partner, Leonie Daley, a civil servant whom he met at the Miss Jamaica UK competition. The couple now had a child, a boy named Skye who was born in September 2005. He amassed a selection of cuttings about his fall from grace and the BALCO Scandal in order to show his son the risks of drug abuse.

Chambers tried to fashion himself as a living example of the dangers of drugs, sporting a T-shirt in Valencia with an anti-drugs slogan of "Just Say No!". He also expressed regret about previous comments suggesting that drug use was necessary to reach the upper echelons of athletics and set about presenting himself as a changed, clean athlete – devoid of the bravado that had marked his earlier career. Chambers' reinvention was met with a mixed reaction and the acceptance of a proven drug user on the track was not palatable to some. Dame Kelly Holmes, and parts of the British press called for Chambers to retire from the Great Britain athletics team.

Chambers' return to athletics took an unusual turn when he confirmed in March 2008 that he had joined English rugby league team Castleford Tigers on trial; a move which surprised and angered in equal measure given the fact he had never played the sport before. The Rugby Football League did not object to the move, in spite of his drug-damaged reputation, but stated much improvement was needed prior to any appearance for Castleford in the Super League competition. At a rugby press conference, Chambers expressed a desire to compete in the Beijing Olympics, casting doubt on his dedication to his new career. Chambers officially registered as a player with the Rugby Football League, and Martin Offiah declared that he was prepared to mentor Chambers. He completed training with the Castleford Tigers first-team squad and made his début in a reserve game against York City Knights, but Castleford announced that they would not be offering him a contract.

High Court challenge
In May 2008 Chambers announced that he was challenging his Olympic ban at the High Court of Justice. Chambers returned to sprinting in June and, in his first 100 m race since August 2006, he won the Papaflessia meet with a time of 10.26 s.  He achieved the "A" Standard for the 2008 Beijing Olympics in June and won the British Olympic trials in ten seconds flat in July. Public opinion on an Olympic appearance remained split.

His performance at the Olympic trials was in vain as Mr. Justice Mackay upheld the BOA ban in the High Court of Justice and stated that a right to work was not sufficient reason to remove it. The BOA chairman, Lord Moynihan, was satisfied with the outcome, stating that those abusing drugs did not deserve to represent Great Britain at the Olympics. However, he lamented that a sprinter of Chambers' calibre had in effect excluded himself from the competition.

The effort of the High Court challenge and the Olympic ban took its toll on Chambers, but he had no intention to retire and set an appearance in the 2012 London Olympics as his main goal, aiming to prove he could perform without the use of drugs. Lord Moynihan objected to this, saying it would sully the reputation of both the Great Britain athletics team and the London Olympics. In late 2008 Chambers signed a book deal, covering his athletics career and drug usage, and stated his desire to become a sprint coach when his track career was finished. He had his second child, a boy named Rocco, that November.

Charles van Commenee's appointment as head coach of UK Athletics brought a change of approach towards Chambers as both the new coach and Niels De Vos welcomed him back to compete internationally. The pair judged that he had served his sentence – van Commenee was especially complimentary, stating: "He is a likeable guy and a damned fine athlete". That month Chambers appeared at a "Tackling Doping in Sport" conference and told of the damage drugs had caused to his career, health, and finances. The Olympic ban remained in place, however, and London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe said: "I am clear cut on the Chambers case – I don't think there is room for drugs cheats in sport".

Race Against Me
Chambers ceased legal action to overturn his Olympic ban and instead aimed to finish his career on a high. He intensively studied the technique of Usain Bolt to improve his own times, seeing Bolt as the new generation's Maurice Greene. Though he was still banned from Euromeetings-organised events, he set a new personal best of 6.52 s in the 60 m at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix, then became the UK Indoor Champion, equalling Mike Rodgers' world leading time of 6.51 s. At the 2009 European Indoor Championships he broke Ronald Pognon's European 60 m record with a 6.42 s run in the semi-finals, then won the gold medal with a time of 6.46 s in the final. British head coach van Commenee stated that Chambers had undergone vigorous testing and that his performance sent "a message that you can win and break European records in the proper way."

The record-breaking performance brought him an invite from the Berlin IAAF Golden League meet, although organising group Euromeetings condemned the move. Revelations in Chambers' autobiography Race Against Me brought further controversy as the book had in-depth accounts of his past drug abuse and claimed drug use remained rife in athletics, estimating that half the American Olympic athletes in Beijing had used illegal substances. Chambers signed a statement with UK Sport, verifying that he believed the information to be true, which brought a close to the organisation's inquiries into his drug use. An IAAF investigation concluded that the book demanded no further action on their part. Olympic gold medallist and anti-drugs campaigner Ed Moses gave his support, saying that Chambers admissions provided a useful insight, but that athletes and administrators remained in denial about the high levels of doping in athletics.

Invites to Golden League meets never materialised, but he continued to run at smaller events. He ran a European leading time of 10.06 seconds at Papaflessia in Greece, and won the 100 m and 200 m races at the 2009 European Team Championships. He was the fastest entrant at the national championships but 2008 runner-up Simeon Williamson won the final by some distance. The result took Chambers by surprise and he said that limited opportunities to race had made him complacent. He later withdrew from the 200 m race citing exhaustion.

At the World Championships Chambers finished sixth in 100 m final with a season's best of 10.00 seconds. He was the only sprinter from outside the Americas in the final and was some distance behind Bolt who ran a world record of 9.58 seconds. However, he was very pleased with his performance and said he was happy just to be involved in the fastest 100 m race ever. He pulled out of the 200 m with a calf injury and called an end to his season.

World indoor champion
The following year, he began by focusing on the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships, and he won the 60 m at the UK trials in 6.50 seconds (a time only he had bettered in the previous two seasons). His closest competitor, Ivory Williams, received a ban for marijuana usage, leaving Chambers as a strong favourite. He was the fastest in all rounds of World 60 m competition, and surged ahead of Mike Rodgers in the final to win his first world title with a time of 6.48 seconds. Banned from the 2010 Commonwealth Games, he set his sights on making the team for the 2010 European Athletics Championships.

At the start of the outdoor season he had wins in Maringá in Brazil and at the Cezmi Or Memorial. He beat Christophe Lemaitre to win the 100 m at the 2010 European Team Championships, helping Great Britain to second place in the tournament and recording 9.99 seconds – the first sub-10 time by a European athlete in almost four years. Lemaitre and Chambers were seen as the only gold medal contenders for the 100 m final at the European Athletics Championships, but the event defied expectations in terms of times and placings. The Frenchman won in 10.11 seconds into a headwind while a tight finish between the four following athletes (all 10.18) saw Chambers finish fifth.

2011–2012: World and Olympic semi-finalist
The start of his 2011 season saw him take a fourth consecutive national title over 60 m with a European-leading time. At the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships the following month he was beaten to the line by Obikwelu, although he was pleased with the silver medal as he had changed his training to focus towards the 100 m for that season. Four straight wins on the Brazilian Athletics Tour came at the beginning of his outdoor season in May, including a season's best of 10.01 seconds, and he took his fifth national title at the British trials. At the 2011 World Championships he reached the 100 m semi-finals but fell foul of the IAAF's new false start rule: he twitched in his blocks and was immediately disqualified.

He won his fifth national title in the 60 m in 2012 with a season's best of 6.58 m. A third consecutive podium finish came at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships, where he pipped Trell Kimmons to the bronze medal. Chambers was given the chance to return to the Olympic stage after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decided in favour of the World Anti-Doping Agency over the validity of British Olympic Association's (BOA) Olympic ban by-law. CAS agreed that the law was non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code, to which the BOA was signatory due to its connection with the International Olympic Committee. Chambers ran a 150 m-straight best of 15.27 seconds at the Great City Games in May then won the 100 m Olympic trial race, holding off emerging teenager Adam Gemili. His absence from the major track circuit came to an end with a run at the Diamond League London Grand Prix, although he did not achieve the Olympic "A" standard time there.

Chambers was named in the British squad for the 2012 London Olympics after the selectors took into account his trials win and his times from the previous year. Given the abrupt turnaround in his fortunes, he said: "For me representing my country in an Olympics is a privilege that should never be taken for granted. To be given the opportunity to do so in my home town has been a dream that at times has seemed very distant and is now a reality." He returned to the British relay team at the 2012 European Athletics Championships after a six-year absence but a botched baton change saw the team disqualified. At the Olympics he won his 100 metres heat in a season's best of 10.02 seconds, with a legal 2.0 m/s following wind, in his first Olympic race in twelve years. He was drawn in the same semi-final as Usain Bolt but Chambers' run of 10.05 seconds for fourth meant he did not make the final. His Olympics came to an end in the 4×100 metres relay heats as the British team made an illegal baton exchange.

2013–2014
Chambers began his 2013 season with a 60 m win in Glasgow with a run of 6.58 seconds. A back injury affected his preparations for the 2013 European Indoor Championships, where he was eliminated in the heats. Outdoors, he won his fourth consecutive British Championship title, running 10.04. A month later at the World Championships in Moscow, he ran 10.14 in his heat to reach the semi-finals, where he was eliminated running 10.15.

Chambers began 2014 by finishing second in the 60 m at the British Indoor Championships, before going on to finish sixth in the 60 m final at the World Indoor Championships in a time of 6.52s. This was the fastest time he had run the 60m in since 2010. In his first three 100 m races of the outdoor season he failed to break 10.20, before hitting form during the British Championships. Going into the event, he was only ranked 10th in the UK, but he won the 100 m final, defeating Chijindu Ujah, who had broken 10 seconds three weeks earlier. Chambers' victory guaranteed him selection for the European Championships as his winning time was 10.12 secs, inside the European qualifying mark of 10.20. This was his fifth consecutive win at the British Championships. Chambers won his final medal in international competition at the 2014 IAAF World Relays in May. At the 2014 European Championships in August, Chambers missed out on a final individual medal by 0.02 seconds, finishing 4th in the 100m final in 10.24. This would be his last appearance at a major championships.

Later career
Chambers attended just two meets in 2015. He had a more active 2016, winning his heat and semi-final in the 60m at the British Indoor Championships but only managed seventh in the final. At the outdoor national championships in June, he made the final of the 100m in which he ran a heavily wind assisted (+3.0 m/s) 10.11, which once again saw him finish seventh. In 2017, Chambers came third at the national indoor championships in 6.62 but was not selected for the 2017 European Indoor Championships. He could only reach the national semi-finals outdoors in July in the 100m, and announced his retirement the following month.

In December 2018, 40-year-old Chambers returned at a low-key meet in London. He then entered the national indoor championships in February 2019. He progressed from his heat, but was disqualified after a false start in the semi-final. In February 2020, Chambers once again returned to the British Indoor Championships. He finished last in his semi-final after coming through the heats.

Chambers entered the 100m at the British Championships in 2021 and 2022 but failed to progress from the heats on both occasions.

In January 2024, at an open meet in Lee Valley, he set a new world record for the M45 Indoor 60m with a time of 6.81s. He went on to compete at the UK Indoor Championships in February 2024, reaching the semi-finals.

Outside Athletics
As well as competitive athletics, Chambers founded Chambers for Sport in 2009, offering group and 1-2-1 sprint coaching at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre in London. He founded the Dwain Chambers Performance Academy, which aims to provide all round coaching for the next generation of sporting stars and is open for young athletes between 9 and 21.

He is also a public speaker and gave his first TedX in October 2023.

Statistics
Chambers' performances at tournaments in the 100 metres event make him one of the fastest European sprinters in the history of recorded athletics. His personal best of 9.97 s set at the 1999 Seville World Championships places him as the seventh fastest European in the 100 m and the sixth fastest Briton behind Linford Christie (9.87 s), James Dasaolu (9.91 s), Zharnel Hughes (9.91 s), Chijindu Ujah (9.96 s) and Joel Fearon (9.96 s). Chambers' annulled 9.87 s finish at the Paris Grand Prix in 2002 would have made him the joint fastest British 100 m sprinter with Christie and the joint second fastest European in the event.

Amongst his British contemporaries Chambers ranks top with two 9.97 s finishes; the first in 1999 in Seville, Spain and the second in 2001 in Edmonton, Canada. Compatriot Mark Lewis-Francis also scored a personal best of 9.97 s at the Edmonton World Championships. Great Britain teammate Jason Gardener's personal best of 9.98 s falls just short of Chambers'. None of his British contemporaries have broken the ten second barrier on more than one occasion; Chambers has done so five times.

Chambers is the only athlete ever to run sub-10s 100m in three consecutive decades (1990s, 2000s and 2010s) and is the eighth-fastest Briton of all time over 100m.

Personal bests

 * Excludes times nullified due to Chambers' positive drugs tests and subsequent ban – All information taken from IAAF profile.

International competition record

 * † Amended from fifth after Tim Montgomery tested positive for banned substances
 * Excludes results nullified due to Chambers' positive drugs tests and subsequent ban.

title: Dwain Chambers


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Henry Blofeld

Henry Calthorpe Blofeld (born 23 September 1939), nicknamed Blowers by Brian Johnston, is an English retired sports journalist, broadcaster and amateur ornithologist best known as a cricket commentator for Test Match Special on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra. He has established a reputation as a commentator with an accent, vocabulary and syntax that is quintessentially Old Etonian both in style and substance. He also writes on cricket and has authored eight books to date.

Early life
Blofeld's family were landowners at Hoveton in Norfolk and he was the youngest of three siblings. His elder brother, Sir John Blofeld, became a High Court judge. Henry's father (Thomas Robert Calthorpe Blofeld, 1903–1986) was at Eton with Ian Fleming and his name is believed to have been the inspiration for the name of James Bond supervillain, Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Blofeld is a distant relative of the Honourable Freddie Calthorpe, a former England Test captain, but, contrary to common belief, he is not Calthorpe's nephew.

Education
Blofeld was educated at Sunningdale School and at Eton College, followed by King's College, Cambridge, but failed both his final exams "by an innings".

School cricket
Blofeld played cricket at both Sunningdale and Eton. He was wicket-keeper for the Eton College First XI and had an exceptional career as a schoolboy cricketer. In 1956, Blofeld scored 104 not out for a Public Schools team against the Combined Services, and he was given the Cricket Society's award for the most promising young player of the season. Appointed Eton captain in his final year at school, Blofeld suffered a very serious accident, when he was hit by a bus while riding a bicycle, remaining unconscious for 28 days.

First-class cricket at Cambridge
Although his injuries curtailed his subsequent cricketing career, Blofeld did go on to play 16 first-class matches for Cambridge University during 1958 and 1959. The 1958 side was skippered by future England captain Ted Dexter and his first victim behind the stumps, on his debut for Cambridge against Kent, was also another future England captain, Colin Cowdrey, whom he caught off Dexter's bowling. He was unable to obtain a regular place in the side as a wicket keeper and only played in that position when first choice Chris Howland was unavailable. Of the 16 games that Blofeld played for Cambridge (five in 1958 and 11 in 1959), he kept wicket in only four of them.

In 1959, Blofeld played in half of the university fixtures, including the Varsity Match against Oxford, where he won his Blue "as an opening batsman of sorts... the worst Blue awarded since the war" according to Blofeld himself. Fittingly, he made his only first-class century against the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) at Lord's in July 1959, in his penultimate game for Cambridge. He attended King's College, Cambridge, but left after two years without receiving a degree.

In his only match for Free Foresters, against Cambridge University in 1960, Blofeld kept wicket. His last first-class victim was Howland, captaining Cambridge that year. He played one Gillette Cup match for a minor county, Norfolk against Hampshire in 1965 under the captaincy of Bill Edrich, who was 49 years old at the time. Playing as an opening batsman, Blofeld top scored for his side with 60.

Sports journalism
Blofeld took a job at the merchant bank Robert Benson Lonsdale for three years, but it was not to his taste and he drifted into sports journalism. He reported on the England tour to India in 1963–4 for The Guardian, and was close to being picked as an emergency batsman to replace the ill Micky Stewart for the 2nd Test in Bombay. When he was told by David Clark, the tour manager, that he might have to play, Blofeld replied "I would certainly play if needed, but if I scored 50 or upwards in either innings I was damned if I would stand down for the Calcutta Test". On the day of the Test Stewart discharged himself from hospital and played despite his illness. After tea on the first day, Stewart was rushed back to hospital and played no further part in the tour. Blofeld continued as a print journalist until 1972 when he joined the Test Match Special team. He had also previously commentated for ITV in the 1960s.

Test Match Special
Blofeld was a regular commentator for TMS from 1972 to 2017, except for a period at BSkyB from 1991 to 1994. Blofeld's cricket commentary was characterised by his plummy voice and his idiosyncratic mention of superfluous details regarding the scene, including things such as construction cranes or numbers of pink shirts in the crowd; as well as pigeons, buses, aeroplanes and helicopters that happen to be passing by. After the tea and lunch breaks he was also known to talk for extended periods of time about the food on offer, in particular cakes, with occasional interruptions to describe the situation on the field. He also used the phrase "my dear old thing".

In 1995, Blofeld was censured for an allegedly antisemitic comment made live on-air on Test Match Special, when broadcasting from Headingley. He referred to onlookers watching a match from the balcony of a tall building outside the ground at Headingley as being at "the Jewish end". Blofeld and the BBC apologised for a comment that was "not spawned by malice".

From 2006 he commentated less frequently, missing the 2007 World Cup, despite having covered the opening ceremonies of the two preceding World Cups in 2003 and 1999 for TMS. Speaking to Michael Parkinson about this on BBC Radio 2 on 26 August 2007, he responded to the question of why he was commentating less these days, by remarking that "they obviously want to bring in new faces" adding that during the Ashes series during 2006–7 "I felt in a funny way that I wasn't part of it any more". During the summer 2008 season, he resumed a full commentating quota on Tests and ODIs.

Blofeld missed the 2009 home test series against South Africa but returned for the 2010 home series against Pakistan. He did not cover the Ashes series in Australia during 2010–11 but returned for the Indian tour of England in Summer 2011. In January 2012, he rejoined the TMS team covering England's tour of the United Arab Emirates against Pakistan and also the autumn 2012 England tour of India.

On 23 June 2017, Blofeld announced his retirement as a BBC Test Match Special commentator. His last test commentary was when England played West Indies at Lord's on 9 September 2017. He was given a standing ovation on a lap of the ground following the match.

Outside sport
Blofeld was awarded an OBE for services to broadcasting in 2003. The following year, he appeared alongside Fred Trueman in the "Tertiary Phase" of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio series playing himself. Blofeld has written a partly autobiographical book entitled My Dear Old Thing: Talking Cricket. He undertakes an "Evening With Blowers" theatrical show which has toured all over the UK, as well as many other public speaking engagements. Together with TMS producer Peter Baxter he tours with the theatrical show Memories of Test Match Special from 2013 on. His fourth book was entitled Squeezing the Orange.

In November 2003, Blofeld was the castaway on Desert Island Discs with his favourite selection being the classic Brian Johnston and Jonathan Agnew TMS exchange "Getting your leg over".

Outside cricket, Blofeld's favourite hobby is "drinking wine", followed by "eating food" and "going out." He has his own Côtes du Rhône label which he markets as Blowers' Rhône and unashamedly promotes this during his one-man theatrical chat shows An Evening With Blowers, that he mainly performs during the cricket close season. The show has been recorded on DVD and CD. He often wears vividly coloured outfits, which he ascribes to partial colour blindness.

Blofeld celebrated his 70th birthday by hosting an evening show in front of 2000 paying "guests" at the Royal Albert Hall, with appearances on stage by friends such as TMS commentator Jonathan Agnew, who narrated the event live, West Indian commentator Tony Cozier, TV personality Stephen Fry, cricket journalist John Woodcock, TV celebrity Christine Hamilton and his elder brother, former High Court Judge Sir John Blofeld.

In January 2015 Blofeld was a guest, and the winner, on the BBC One's comedy series Room 101. In December 2017 he was a guest on the BBC One comedy panel show Would I Lie to You? He was one of the travellers in series 4 of the Twofour production The Real Marigold Hotel.

Personal life
Blofeld has been married three times and divorced twice. He has a daughter, Suki (born 1964), with his first wife. He separated from his Swedish second wife, Bitten, in 2007. He had a double heart bypass operation in 1999 after being diagnosed with angina and was given the last rites after he nearly died in intensive care following the operation. Blofeld lived in Chelsea for many years, but moved to Menorca in 2018.

In a Boxing Day 2013 interview on the Radio New Zealand Summer Noelle programme, Blofeld said he had recently married an Italian woman, Valeria. his main occupation was on stage at the theatre.

Blofeld published an autobiography, Squeezing the Orange, in 2013. The book recounts his personal and professional life, including encounters with various celebrities and politicians, and a 46-day road trip from London to Bombay in a vintage Rolls-Royce. In 2017 he published Over and Out, a recollection of his years spent with the Test Match Special team.

Published books

 * Cricket in Three Moods: Eighteen Months of Test Cricket and the Ways of Life Behind it, The Sportsmans Book Club, 1971
 * The Packer Affair, Collins, 1978 (ISBN 978-0002166546)
 * One Test After Another: Life in International Cricket, Stanly Paul, 1985 (ISBN 0-09-162290-5)
 * My Dear Old Thing: Talking Cricket, Stanley Paul, 1988 (ISBN 0-09-173704-4)
 * A Thirst for Life, Hodder & Stoughton, 2001 (ISBN 0-340-77050-3)
 * Cricket and All That, Coronet, 2001 (ISBN 978-0340819746)
 * Squeezing the Orange, Harper Collins, 2013 (ISBN 978-0-00-750640-8)
 * Over and Out: My Innings of a Lifetime with Test Match Special, Hodder & Stoughton, 2017 (ISBN 978-1473670914)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Henry Blofeld


text:
Foot guards

In some militaries, foot guards are senior infantry regiments. Foot guards are commonly responsible for guarding royal families or other state leaders, and they also often perform ceremonial duties accordingly, but at the same time are combat soldiers.

Canada
Two regiments of foot guards exist in the Canadian Army's Primary Reserve, the Governor General's Foot Guards (GGFG) and the Canadian Grenadier Guards (CGG). The two foot guards, along with the Governor General's Horse Guards, form Canada's Household Division. Although the GGFG has its buttons in pairs, compared to the single buttons of the CGG, it is the more senior regiment. The paired buttons on the GGFG's scarlet tunic is a result of its historical alliance to the British Coldstream Guards, whose tunics are styled similarly.

The Canadian Guards was another regiment of foot guards from the Canadian Army's Regular Force, although it was reduced to nil strength and placed on the Supplementary Order of Battle in 1970. Its colours are deposited at Rideau Hall should it be desired to stand up the regiment again.

The Royal Regiment of Canada, despite being a line infantry regiment, wears foot guards full-dress uniform. This is in token of the alliance its predecessor The Royal Grenadiers had with the Grenadier Guards. The full-dress uniform has a scarlet-over-white plume, and buttons are worn singly in like manner.

Denmark
The foot guards of Denmark consists of the Royal Life Guards (Den Kongelige Livgarde). It is primarily a mechanized infantry regiment in the Danish Army, with the Guard Company of the regiment performing guard/ceremonial public duties for the Danish monarchy. They provide a permanent guard at the Amalienborg Palace, as well as mount at guard at Fredensborg Palace, Marselisborg Palace, Gråsten Palace, and Christiansborg Palace on occasion.

The regiment is currently composed of 4 active duty units:

 * Emblem for the Danish Royal Life Guards I Battalion.svg 1st Battalion
 * Emblem for the Danish Royal Life Guards II Battalion.svg 2nd Battalion
 * Emblem for the Danish Royal Life Guards Guard Company.svg Guard Company
 * Emblem for the Danish Royal Life Guards Musical Corps.svg Royal Life Guard Music Band

Finland
The Guard Jaeger Regiment (Kaartin Jääkärirykmentti, Gardesjägarregementet) is a Finnish Army unit in Santahamina, an island district of Helsinki. The regiment trains guard jaegers for fighting in an urban environment. The Guard Battalion's (Kaartin Pataljoona) two military police companies of the Guard Jaeger Regiment provide the ceremonial guard of honour for the President of Finland.

France
The first infantry regiment of the Republican Guard is responsible for protecting the President of France and for ceremonial duties. Other historical French foot guard regiments include:
 * Garde du Corps (1419–1791; 1815–1830)
 * Gardes Françaises (1563–1789)
 * Swiss Guards (1616–1792)
 * Imperial Guard (1804–1815)
 * Old Guard
 * Middle Guard
 * Young Guard
 * Imperial Guard Corps (1854–1870)

Germany
The Wachbataillon perform ceremonial guard duty for various branches of the German government. It is currently the largest battalion in the Bundeswehr, having up to 1,000 soldiers based in Berlin. The battalion follows the tradition of the 1. Foot Guard Regiment (1. Garde-Rgt. z.F.).

India
The President's Bodyguard regiment of the Indian Army the Republican Guard responsible for protecting the President of India on ceremonial occasions.

Italy
The foot guards functions in the Italian Army are held by the Granatieri di Sardegna Brigade, direct heir of the original Guards' Regiment founded on April 18, 1659. The brigade's two regiments of guards infantry have a highly distinguished combat history and are still employed both in ceremonial and combat roles. The 3rd regiment serves as combat support.

The Carabinieri (the militarised gendarmerie-type law enforcement agency of Italy) also fields a ceremonial guards unit – the Reggimento Corazzieri ("Cuirassiers Regiment"), based in Rome, which carries its ceremonial role both on foot and on horseback at the Quirinal Palace – the official residence of the President of Italy. It is more compatible to a dragoons regiment while being more of a cuirassier unit due to its uniform.

Russia
Russia's Presidential Regiment (also known as the Kremlin Regiment), although not a part of the Russian Armed Forces but part of the Russian Federal Protective Service, which directly reports to the President of Russia, is the elite unit that provides the guard of honor at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Moscow's Alexander Garden and is tasked with the protection of the President, his family and the Kremlin complex. When in the Kremlin itself (at Cathedral Square) or at Red Square, during important occasions and weekends, it maintains certain traditions of the Russian Imperial Guard through its uniforms and rifle and cavalry drills during the weekly Changing of the Guard ceremony together with the regimental band, Infantry units and the Cavalry Escort Squadron. The regiment, since the mid-2010s, has also provided sentries at the Spasskaya Tower entrance facing Red Square. In the future, the regiment will be reinforced by the Semyonovsky Regiment (reestablished in 2013), which falls under the Armed Forces and is currently the sole independent regiment of infantry in the Russian Ground Forces. The 154th Preobrazhensky Independent Commandant's Regiment, being a part of the Armed Forces, thus only performs honor guard duties only during state visits to Russia, wreath laying ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the major parades in Moscow (May 9 and November 7, respectively), as well as in major anniversary parades all over Russia if needed.

Spain
Spain's Guardia Real is one of the oldest bodyguard units in the world. On top of protecting the king and deploying overseas, they also perform ceremonial duties. The regiment primarily provide protection to members of Spanish royal family, as well as royal households such as the Royal Palace of Madrid, the Palace of El Pardo and the Palace of Zarzuela. Its origins come from the Monteros de Espinosa, which is the oldest royal bodyguard unit on the European continent. Its organizational structure is based around five battalion-sized units including the High Command Group, Escorts Group, Honors Group, Logistics Group, and the Musical Unit of the Spanish Royal Guard.

The Royal Guard Honors Group is the principal foot guards unit of the Armed Forces, which provides ceremonial and actual security to the royal family. Permanently garrisoned in Madrid, the capital city, the battalion-sized formation is organized into:

 * Group HQ
 * Army Company "Monteros de Espinosa"
 * 1st Platoon
 * 2nd Platoon
 * 3rd Platoon
 * Drill Team Platoon
 * Navy and Marine Composite Company "Mar Océano"
 * 1st Platoon
 * 2nd Platoon
 * 3rd Platoon
 * Air Force Squadron "Plus Ultra"
 * 1st Flight
 * 2nd Flight
 * 3rd Flight
 * Mountaineering Group
 * Royal Guard Diving Unit

The other foot guards regiment of the armed forces is the Spanish Army's Infantry Regiment "Inmemorial del Rey" No. 1 stationed in the Army Headquarters, Buenavista Palace, Madrid. It is one of the oldest standing guards units in the world, raised by King Ferdinand III of Castile in 1248. Traditionally, as the regiment is linked to the Spanish royal family and to the sovereign in his/her duty as Captain General and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, all the princes of Asturias since 1862 are enrolled as honorary soldiers in the 1st Guards Company. The duty of Foot Guards is the responsibility of the Honor Guard Battalion "Old Guard of Castille", which is part of the regiment and organized into:

 * Battalion HQ
 * 1st Guards Company
 * 2nd Guards Company
 * Artillery Honors Section
 * Battalion Corps of Drums
 * Drum and Bugle Section
 * Fife and Drum section

Sweden
The Royal Guards is responsible for protection of the Swedish Royal Family. They are made up of the Life Guards. The Royal Guard has been responsible for providing security to Stockholm Palace since 1523. It is the primary honour guard detail for the king as well as an emergency unit for the capital. The guard is split up into two sections, the guard at Stockholm Palace, and a smaller detachment stationed at Drottningholm Palace. The Royal Guards are most visible at state arrival ceremonies for visiting heads of state visiting Sweden, where it mounts the guard of honour. It performs the changing of the guard ceremony at the Outer Courtyard of the palace, drawing approximately 800,000 tourists per year. The foot guards component is made up of three foot guards companies that fall under the King's Guards Battalion, all performing public duties alongside their combat and security roles. In addition, the 12th Motorized Infantry Battalion (raised 2016) is also designated foot guards, but only performs combat operations.

Ukraine
The Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky Independent Presidential Brigade is a special military unit of Ukrainian Armed Forces which is mandated to defend the President of Ukraine in his duty as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the First Family, and the presidential residences and facilities assigned to the presidential office. With its Honor Guard Battalion providing ceremonial guard duty for official events.

The brigade was raised in 1992 as a National Guard infantry regiment and was transferred to the AFU in 2000.

United Kingdom
The Foot Guards are the Regular Infantry regiments of the Household Division of the British Army. There have been six active regiments of foot guards and one reserve regiment, five of which still exist. The Royal Guards Reserve Regiment was a reserve formation of the Household Brigade in existence from 1900 to 1901. The Machine Gun Guards, which was formed during the First World War, was disbanded in 1920.

 * Grenadier Guards
 * Coldstream Guards
 * Scots Guards
 * Irish Guards
 * Welsh Guards
 * London Guards (reserve)
 * Guards Machine Gun Regiment (disbanded)
 * Royal Guards Reserve Regiment (disbanded)

While these regiments have other distinguishing features, a simple method of distinguishing members of the different Guards units by their appearance is by the spacing of buttons on the tunic. The ascending number of buttons also indicates the order in which the regiments were formed, although the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, an ancestor of the Grenadier Guards, is younger than the regiment that now takes the name of the Coldstream Guards, the oldest continuously serving regiment in the regular British Army (there are older regiments in the Army Reserve). There are various other distinguishing features of the uniforms of the regiments, such as the colour of the plume, which side it is worn on the bearskin, the collar badge and the shoulder badge. When all five regiments parade together, they are in the order of Grenadier Guards on the right flank, then Scots Guards, Welsh Guards, Irish Guards and Coldstream Guards on the left flank. This is because although the Coldstream are ranked second in seniority, their motto is "Nulli Secundus" ('Second to None').

The five regiments of Foot Guards, lined up as they parade:

Units of the Foot Guards

 * Grenadier Guards
 * 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards
 * Nijmegen Company, Grenadier Guards
 * Ypres Company, Grenadier Guards, Kingston upon Thames
 * Coldstream Guards
 * 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards
 * No. 7 Company, Coldstream Guards
 * No. 17 Company, Coldstream Guards, Hammersmith
 * Scots Guards
 * 1st Battalion, Scots Guards
 * F Company, Scots Guards
 * G (Messines) Company, Scots Guards, Westminster
 * Irish Guards
 * 1st Battalion, Irish Guards
 * No. 9 Company, Irish Guards
 * No. 12 Company, Irish Guards
 * No. 15 (Loos) Company, Irish Guards, Camberwell
 * Welsh Guards
 * 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards

The first four regiments each have separate incremental companies, which keep custody of the colours and maintain the customs and traditions of the currently dormant 2nd Battalions. These companies perform ceremonial and security duties in London. One battalion is appointed for public duties, along with the incremental companies, it provides the King's Guard, the Tower of London Guard and the Windsor Castle Guard. The Guards Battalions on Public Duties are located in barracks close to Buckingham Palace for them to be able to reach the Palace very quickly in an emergency. The independent incremental companies of the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards and Scots Guards are permanently based at Wellington Barracks, Westminster, which is located just 300 yards from Buckingham Palace. A battalion is based at Victoria Barracks, Windsor, a quarter of a mile south of the Castle.

The Guards Division received a new battalion following the restructuring of the army in 2004, when the London Regiment became the first reserve army unit in this division. The regiment was subsequently disbanded, and its personnel moved to reserve companies of the four senior foot guards regiments.

The Royal Guards Reserve Regiment was in existence during the Second Boer War from 1900 to 1901. The Guards Machine Gun Regiment was raised for service during the First World War. Initially, each brigade of the Guards Division had a machine gun company attached. In 1917, these companies were regimented to form a battalion. Further battalions (the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions) were formed by conversion of the Household Cavalry regiments. King George V ordered that the regiment be classified as the Sixth Regiment of Foot Guards, or Machine Gun Guards. However, it was disbanded in 1920.

Before the Second World War, Guards recruits were required to be at least 5 ft tall. They initially enlisted for seven years with the colours and a further five years with the reserve or four years and eight years. They trained at the Guards' Depot in Caterham, Surrey.

United States
The United States has ceremonial units for each of the six branches of the Armed Forces with one unit serving two branches. They form honor guards for the President, foreign heads of state, and other military and civilian dignitaries. They form the core military element of state-level ceremonies including the Inauguration of the President and state funerals. The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, also known as "The Old Guard", is the Army's escort/ceremonial guard to the President, and their units include the Tomb Guards for the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington national cemetery.

The State Defense Force of Connecticut has a battalion of the Governor's Foot Guard, a part-time unit that provides ceremonial functions organized into two guards infantry companies. It consists of four different units of an organized militia in the Connecticut State Militia, two of which are foot guards and the other two being horse guard units.

The Royal Guards of Hawaii is a ceremonial foot guard unit of the Hawaii Air National Guard which acts as the honour guard for the Governor of Hawaii. It re-enacts 19th century royal bodyguards of King Kalakaua in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Their uniform includes a pith Helmet, and white dress pants. When on parade, the 50-member royal guard carries the Springfield 45-70 rifle.

The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment, inheritor of the traditions and lineage of the legendary 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, is a foot guards regiment of the Massachusetts Army National Guard that serves as the official ceremonial guards of honor for the Governor of Massachusetts.

Other nations
Many other nations have regiments of foot guards in their armies, as the term 'guards' is an honorific to distinguish elite soldiers. Most monarchies have at least one regiment of guards, part of whose duties is to guard the Royal Family.The same goes for most republics; for instance:
 * the Počasno-zaštitna bojna (Honor Guard Battalion), the elite ceremonial unit of Croatian Armed Forces.
 * the Presidential Guard, formerly known as Palace and then Royal Guard, is the guard unit for the President of Greece and provide an honor guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
 * The Presidential Security Group of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fire Protection is the combined escort and security brigade for the President of the Philippines and wear on ceremony and parade the rayadillo uniforms of the Philippine Army during the Philippine Revolution, adapted for the unit due to its importance, with the dress being dark blue instead of light blue. This unique formation is the only one of its kind, with its members coming from the armed and police services, the coast guard and the fire services.
 * Brazil has the Presidential Guard Battalion in Brasília, as the primary foot guards unit of the Brazilian Army, tasked with the protection of the President of Brazil and his residence, the National Congress of Brazil, and all other government buildings in the Brazilian Federal District. It has the lineage of the Imperial Guards Battalion formed by Emperor Dom Pedro I in 1822 and as such wears its uniform in all ceremonies.
 * Brazil also has the 1st Foot Guards Battalion within the Eastern Military Command, and Foot Guards companies in the other military regions within the Brazilian Army. Their role is the defense of military installations and to reinforce the Army Police during contingencies and major events.
 * The 37th Infantry Presidential Guard Battalion is the primary guards unit of the National Army of Colombia and as such is the unit mandated for the security of the President of Colombia, the House of Narino, the presidential palace, and all other important government buildings in Bogota, the capital city.
 * The Presidential Honor Guard is Venezuela's guard unit, but its sports a cavalry styled uniform, as the Brigade carries the traditions of Simon Bolivar's Hussar Guards Troop, part of a larger guard formation raised in the midst of the Venezuelan War of Independence in 1815. As it reports directly to the President of Venezuela, and to the Ministry of Defense, it is a separate service branch of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela.
 * Bolivia's guard unit is the Bolivian Colorados Regiment of the Bolivian Army.
 * In Poland, honor guards duties are performed by the 1st Guards Battalion, Representative Honor Guard Regiment of the Polish Armed Forces in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and during state visits at the Presidential Palace, Warsaw.
 * The President's Own Guard Regiment (POGR) is foot guard regiment in the Ghana Army which serves as a light infantry unit and a Guard of honour for the President of Ghana.
 * The President's Guard of the Sri Lanka Army served as a foot guard unit until 2015.

Other countries that have Guards Units
 * Russia and Belarus, as well as the former Soviet Union republics in the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Baltic (except Lithuania) have Guards units in their own respective armed forces units. A historical extension of the Russian Imperial Guard, these Guards units represent the elite troops of these nations and in the Russian and Belarusian units, remind everyone of these units' contribution to the Second World War and the war's Allied victory in the eastern parts of Europe and eastern Asia.
 * Romania's guard unit is the 30th Guards Brigade "Michael the Brave" of the Romanian Land Forces Logistics Command.
 * Bulgaria's guard formation is the National Guard Unit. According to the country's Armed Forces Law it forms an integral part of the Armed Forces of Bulgaria, but is outside Defence Staff subordination and falls under the direct authority of the Ministry of Defense. It is a regimental equivalent, but with units at reduced strength. The National Guards Unit is based in the capital Sofia, numbers up to 1 000 officers, NCOs, guardsmen and civilian staff and has its own band. The National Guard Unit's sole function is purely ceremonial and according to the Constitution of Bulgaria it is a symbol of the Bulgarian State, next to the national flag, coat of arms and the national anthem. Throughout most of the time of its existence during the monarchy the Bulgarian Guard has been a cavalry unit, which is the reason why today's infantry ceremonial unit sports a cavalry style uniform, but nowadays, like cavalry dragoons of the past, carry only rifles (SKS, the color guard included) while only the officers carry sabres.
 * The Guard's Brigade is the security unit is the Nigerian Army.
 * Serbia has the Serbian Guards Unit headquartered in Belgrade and serves as the guards unit of the Serbian Armed Forces. Being a full-time regiment it serves as the honor guard to the President of Serbia and comes under the command of the Serbian General Staff.
 * Turkey has the Presidential Guard Regiment stationed in Çankaya Köşkü, the official residence of the President of the Republic of Turkey. Unlike the rest of Turkish Armed Forces, especially the Turkish Land Forces, they wear Blue-White Ceremonial Dress Uniforms full-time and serve as an honorific unit to the President of Turkey, with TLF personnel forming the majority of serving personnel.
 * The National Ceremonial Guard in South Africa performs honor guard duties as part of the South African National Defence Force to the President of South Africa.
 * The Garderegiment Grenadiers en Jagers & Garderegiment Fuseliers Prinses Irene are the two foot guard regiments in the Netherlands.
 * The foot guards of Norway consists of the Hans Majestet Kongens Garde (lit., His Majesty The King's Guard; the Royal Guards).

Guards Bands
The unit military bands of these guards hold senior positions within the armed forces of their home country. These bands, often internationally known informally as Guards Bands have included the following:

 * The Guards Brass Band (Bulgaria)
 * Kaartin Soittokunta (Finland)
 * Band of the Guards Brigade (Nigeria)
 * Band of the Brigade of The Guards Training Centre (India)
 * Bands of the Household Division (UK)

British and Commonwealth

 * Grenadier Guards
 * Coldstream Guards
 * Scots Guards
 * Irish Guards
 * Welsh Guards
 * Governor General's Foot Guards
 * The Canadian Grenadier Guards
 * Federation Guard
 * Brigade of the Guards

Other nations

 * Den Kongelige Livgarde
 * Högvakten
 * Hans Majestet Kongens Garde
 * and – Governor's Guards

title: Foot guards


text:
Spin probe

A spin probe is a molecule with stable free radical character that carries a functional group. This group can be used to couple the probe to another molecule, e.g. a biomolecule.

Electron spin resonance can be employed to quantify the probe's concentration.

title: Spin probe


text:
Household Division

The Household Division forms a part of the British Army's London District and is made up of five regiments of foot guards and two Household Cavalry regiments. The division is responsible for performing public duties and state ceremonies in London and Windsor. Such functions include the State Opening of Parliament, Trooping the Colour, and mounting the King's Guard.

Composition
In the United Kingdom, the Household Division consists of seven regiments, giving rise to the division's motto of Septem juncta in uno (Latin for 'seven joined in one'). The Household Division is made up of the Household Cavalry, which includes The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals, as well as five regiments of foot guards – the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards and Welsh Guards. The Household Division also includes the following incremental companies: Nijmegen Company – Grenadier Guards, No 7 Company – Coldstream Guards, F Company – Scots Guards, Numbers 9 and 12 Company – Irish Guards. The Household Division is commanded by the Major-General commanding the Household Division who is also General Officer Commanding London District.

History
The Household Division was once responsible for mounting the guard to several institutions in London. In 1819, the Household Division maintained ten separate guard mountings for 89 sentry posts. These include the Armoury Guard, the British Museum Guard, the Kensington Palace Guard, the King's Guard, the Magazine Guard, the Military Asylum Guard, the Savoy Prison Guard, the Tylt Guards, and the York Hospital Guard. In addition, the Household Division also provided night guards for the Bank of England, Covent Garden Opera House, and Drury Lane. However, the Household Division's commitment to most of these postings, besides the King's Guard, ceased at the end of the 19th century. From 1950 to 1968, the Household Division was known as the Household Brigade.

Similar units in the Commonwealth
Several other military units of the Commonwealth of Nations perform a similar function to the British Army's Household Division.

Australia
In 2000, the Australian Defence Force established the Australia's Federation Guard, creating the first ceremonial unit in the force's history for the commemoration of the centenary of Australian federation. The unit performs ceremonial functions on the Australian government's behalf, like forming a guard of honour, and guarding members of the royal family.

Canada
In Canada, the two regiments of foot guards, the Governor General's Foot Guards and the Canadian Grenadier Guards, are responsible for mounting the guard at Rideau Hall, the residence of the monarch and governor general in Ottawa, and the Trooping of the Colour at Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

India
The President's Bodyguard is the successor to the Governor General's Bodyguard, which was established in 1773 as the Governor's Troop of Moghuls. Its primary role is to escort and protect the President of India.

Malaysia
The Malaysian Army's Malaysian Royal Armoured Corps Mounted Ceremonial Squadron escorts and protects the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Raja Permasuri Agong (King and Queen of Malaysia) and mounts the guard at Istana Negara, which is the royal palace in Kuala Lumpur. The Royal Malay Regiment typically mounts guards of honour for the royal family and visiting dignatories.

title: Household Division


text:
Talk:Reel (dance)

page movement
i moved this article to reel (dance) because i belive that the dance is not the primary meaning of the word (and yes i had to change a hell of a lot of links to piped links. no doubt people will tell me if i screwed anything up)

incorrectly called a reel
The tune he plays might be called MacLeod's Reel by Mr. Morgan, but it is in 6/8 time and therefore a jig.  Funny enough Microsoft's Encarta has also carried a wrong example for a reel through the years. They have a polka as a media sample for the reel. A far as I know it has not been changed yet.  Hauke, 24. Feb. 2004

 * Thankfully we can fix errors a bit quicker than Encarta :) Thanks for pointing the mistake out - I'll move the sample to the jig article (may as well put it to use). --Camembert

Reels in Scottish country dancing
I'm not sure what this passage is saying, but I think I disagree with it: :) "The group of thirty-two bars (four times eight) is itself repeated three or four times before a second reel is introduced. The grouping of two tunes or more in this manner is typical in all dance tunes." In Scottish country dancing, a 32-bar dance is usually danced eight times through (so each of four couples will get to dance it twice from first position), and the band will typically play three or four 32-bar reels during the dance. Typical tune progressions for an 8x dance are 1-2-3-1-2-3-2-1 (for three tunes) and 1-2-3-4-2-3-4-1 (for four).  The band usually begins and ends with the same tune, often the "title tune" for the dance.  As you can see, tunes are rarely played over again immediately; the tunes are repeated, but they're spaced out. --Jere7my 01:17, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

 * Feel free to edit the article to clarify it, or to propose a change here for others to look at. Just make sure that your change doesn't remove the information about how things are done in Irish music and dance. Argyriou 01:37, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

Incomprehensible for a layman
So what, in layman's terms, makes a reel a reel? In what way does it differ from other well-known dances/music? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.139.81.0 (talk) 10:12, 3 December 2012 (UTC)

Reels are played in 2/2 time, though often noted in 4/4
I agree this article is not clear.

From a ceilidh dancers point of view a reel is a tune in 2/2 time, they only count two beats per measure and each of these has 4 associated 8th notes. Considering them in this way typical playing tempos for dancing are around 105 to 115 BPM.

If a reel is considered to be in 4/4 time the tempo would have to be doubled to maintain the same playing speed. The tune would now be played at 220BPM. Ceilidh dancers do not think of these tunes with this many subdivisions. Irish 'riverdance' type dancing may do, though I do not have enough experience with it to comment.

My experience with playing these tunes also aligns with the notion of thinking in 2/2 time. If a reel is considered 4/4 and all of these are emphasized the result does not sound like a reel. It sounds rushed.

2 beats per measure with 4 8th notes per beat makes the music sound 'fast' and 'lively'. By comparison hornpipes are played in 4/4 time and are consequently played half as fast. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A00:23C4:3401:DE00:243F:3FEC:15A4:A8A2 (talk) 11:21, 6 November 2016 (UTC)

title: Talk:Reel (dance)


text:
944 Hidalgo

944 Hidalgo is a centaur and unusual object on an eccentric, cometary-like orbit between the asteroid belt and the outer Solar System, approximately 52 km in diameter. Discovered by German astronomer Walter Baade in 1920, it is the first member of the dynamical class of centaurs ever to be discovered. The dark D-type object has a rotation period of 10.1 hours and likely an elongated shape. It was named after Mexican revolutionary Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.

Discovery and naming
Hidalgo was discovered by German astronomer Walter Baade on 31 October 1920 at Bergedorf Observatory in Hamburg, Germany. It is named for Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (1753–1811), who was responsible for declaring Mexico's independence in 1810 and the ensuing Mexican War of Independence. German astronomers who were in Mexico to observe a total eclipse on 10 September 1923 had an audience with President Álvaro Obregón. During this meeting, they asked his permission to name the asteroid after Hidalgo (AN 221, 159 from 1924).

Orbit and classification

Hidalgo orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.9–9.5 AU once every 13 years and 9 months (5,024 days; semi-major axis of 5.74 AU). Its orbit has a high eccentricity of 0.66 and an inclination of 43° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation on 31 October 1920.

With a semi-major axis between that of Jupiter (5.2 AU) and Neptune (30.1 AU), Hidalgo is a member of the dynamically unstable population of centaurs, located between the classical asteroids and the trans-Neptunian objects. The Minor Planet Center classifies it both as main-belt asteroid and unusual object due to an orbital eccentricity higher than 0.5. Hidalgo has traditionally been considered an asteroid because centaurs were not recognized as a distinct class until the discovery of 2060 Chiron in 1977. Alternatively, cis-Neptunian object and distant object are more generic terms that also includes objects further out the Solar System.

Hidalgo orbit takes it to the inner edge of the asteroid belt and as far out as to the orbit of Saturn (9.0–10.1 AU), a characteristic normally associated with Saturn's family of comets. Some astronomers therefore suspect that it was once a comet. It is a Jupiter- and Saturn-crosser. Strictly speaking, Hidalgo is a Saturn-grazer rather than a crosser as its aphelion does not clear Saturn's. The object's severe orbital inclination is suspected to be the result of a close encounter with Jupiter. Even as recently as 1922, Hidalgo passed within 0.89 AU of Jupiter. Its orbit has a Jupiter minimum orbit intersection distance of only 0.33 AU.

It is unlikely there are any large satellites orbiting Hidalgo larger than about 15 kilometers across. Observations from the Very Large Telescope in 2003 ruled out any secondary objects brighter than V=19.5 further than 200 kilometers from the asteroid. However, smaller moons have not been ruled out.

Physical characteristics
In the Tholen and Bus–DeMeo classification, Hidalgo is a dark, carbonaceous D-type asteroid.

According to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Hidalgo measures 52.45 and 61.4 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a low albedo of 0.042 and 0.028, respectively. The prominent JPL Small-Body Database currently gives a diameter of 38 kilometers taken from the publication Hazards due to Comets and Asteroids (Tom Gehrels, 1994). The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for a carbonaceous asteroid of 0.057 and derives a diameter of 44.6 km based on an absolute magnitude of 10.48, while Johnston's archive adopts Akari's diameter of 52 km with an albedo of 0.042.

In the late 1990s, a network of astronomers worldwide gathered lightcurve data that was ultimately used to derive the spin states and shape models of 10 new asteroids, including Hidalgo. The authors describe the shape model as having 'very large flat areas and a "rectangular" pole-on silhouette, which are strong indications of a highly nonconvex shape'. Some of the light curves show sharp minima, which indicates the object shape may have two lobes. Lightcurve data has also been recorded by observers at the Antelope Hills Observatory in Colorado, United States. When Pluto was discovered Hidalgo was the furthest known minor planet from the Sun.

title: 944 Hidalgo


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Talk:Thai cuisine

Concern: Someone tries to change history based on non-expertise in Thai cuisine archives
Dear Editors,

Recently in Thai community, we have some concerns regarding so many changes about Thai culture and heritage across Wikipedia. Many (mis)information were changed in less than a couple years and replaced with non sequitur claims (many editors who reverts back were bullied online and blamed to be too Thai-centric), this happened especially after the hit of Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior and Love Destiny (TV series). Even though this seems to be less severe event, due to the fact that people tend to believe in archival evidences rather than Wikipedia. But however, these changes can cause many confusions to non-Thais and especially foreign tourists coming to Thailand. This page was written many years ago and many great editors (like you) have gone and barely come back to this page :..-( It will be great if we can agree on consensus regarding the better quality (and reliable of the content).

Best Wishes <3

PS. we are working on the translation of archives, which are mostly in Thai language and were written at least or nearly a century ago and try to avoid writing, which was concluded by not-so-expert in the field from decade(s) ago (this is to make sure to avoid a decade-old (or less) fragile writing, which wants to change an eonian history). In addition, we also find some confusions i.e. Northern Khmer people, which is refers to Isan people in the south (Buriram, Sisaket, Surin) with a very small number of individuals those can communicate in Khmer, not in the north (mainly Thai and Isan speakers). In addition, the proven evidence of ancient settlements was found in northern Isan region, that is, as in Neolithic period, belonged to Ban Chiang culture (for better understand later periods of Thai historirical periods/timelines, suggest readings: Lavo Kingdom and Sukhothai Kingdom).

-- Chutinonp — Preceding undated comment added 02:06, 18 March 2022 (UTC)

 * Perhaps some specific examples would be helpful, . –– F ormal D ude  talk  04:31, 18 March 2022 (UTC)

 * Penny van Esterik who's reference you removed without explanation among others has, in fact, specialized in Southeast Asia, which should give her a broader understanding of Southeast Asian culinary interactions than a narrow Thai culinary scholar, and I have no reason to believe her to be biased either. I am, however, sceptical about the impartiality of Thai sources (just like Khmer sources) due to the politicised nature of food in Southeast Asia. Of course, as long as the sources fulfil the reliability criteria, they can and should be taken into account, but definitely not by arbitrarily eliminating any opposing scholarship, which has been a persistent trend across multiple articles in Wikipedia (such as mango sticky rice, steamed curry and green papaya salad) that have had editors like this going on a rewriting rampage. As for the Northern Khmers, it's not surprising that only a very small number of them can communicate in Khmer since teaching in public schools in Thailand is exclusively in Thai, but I don't see how modern linguistic arguments have anything to do with culinary influences. –Turaids (talk) 08:45, 18 March 2022 (UTC)

Unsupported statements
Expert status of Australian chef is unsupported. Subsequent quotation positing the uniqueness of Thai cuisine's affinity for harmonizing disparate ingredients is unsupported. 24.113.167.69 (talk) 04:42, 23 January 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Thai cuisine


text:
User:PiaCarrot

& /monobook.js /monobook.css

About Me
From : Japan Mainly target : Computer Games,Interlanguage link between ja Origin of account name : My favorite Japanese hentai game software series. See Welcome to Pia Carrot.

Another Accounts

 * On ja.Wiktionary
 * On Wikibooks
 * On test.wikipedia
 * On meta

title: User:PiaCarrot


text:
Talk:Tom kha kai

I have replaced "galanga/ginger" with "galangal" on the basis that 39 years in Thailand have yet to bring me a tom khaa seasoned with ginger, which has quite a distinct taste and texture from galangal. I have also changed "tinned coconut" to "coconut cream" on the basis that it's the cream you need, not the meat itself, and tinned is the worst option. I realize that for cooks in the West there may be some difficulty getting the right ingredients; I don't think that justifies listing the wrong ones. David K 12:13, 25 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Chicken
Is it really necessary to call this page 'tom kha gai'? Yes, while it's true that the most popular version of tom kha is made with chicken, I don't think the article title itself should be specific to the chicken version. Just like the Tom yum page isn't called 'Tom yum goong' If no objections within a couple of days, I will remove the word 'gai' from the title. Thanks Kanatcha (talk) 15:03, 2 August 2008 (UTC)
 * No objection, just make sure you ue page move so it leaves a redirect. You might also want to add a bit of text to educate people about the difference. Jclemens (talk) 16:09, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

title: Talk:Tom kha kai


text:
Moving Pictures (band)

Moving Pictures are an Australian rock music band formed in 1980. Their debut album, Days of Innocence, was issued in October 1981 and eventually peaked at No. 1 on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart in February the following year. In January 1982, they released their single, "What About Me", which reached No. 1 on the Kent Singles Chart. Later that year, Elektra Records issued Days of Innocence and "What About Me" in North America. The single reached No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and appeared on the associated year-end Hot 100 list for 1983. A proposed series of United States performances supporting REO Speedwagon, Tom Petty, and Hall & Oates fell through when Elektra was substantially reorganised.

In November 1982, another single, "Winners", peaked at No. 12 in Australia. In October 1983, their second album, Matinee, was released. It reached No. 16 and, of its four singles, only the lead single, "Back to the Streets", reached the Top 40. Their non-album single "Never" was used for two film soundtracks, Footloose (1984) and Hot Rod (2007). By the end of 1987, the group had disbanded. The band reformed in 2011 with annual tours.

1980–1987
Moving Pictures were formed in Sydney in 1980 with Charlie Cole on keyboards and trumpet; Paul Freeland on drums; Garry Frost on guitar, keyboards, and vocals; Ian Lees on bass guitar (ex-This Side Up); Alex Smith on vocals and guitar (Bilgola Bop Band, This Side Up); and Andrew Thompson on saxophone (Bilgola Bop Band). Initially they performed as a "hard working, R&B-inspired pub-rock outfit", playing up to 250 shows a year, with their early influences being Bruce Springsteen, Graham Parker and Van Morrison. In early 1981 Moving Pictures were signed to the Wheatley management team – run by former Masters Apprentices' bass guitarist Glenn Wheatley – and the allied Wheatley Records label. Their debut single, "Bustin' Loose", broke into the Top 50 on the Kent Singles Chart in October.

Their debut album, Days of Innocence, also appeared in October 1981 and initially failed to reach the Top 40 on the Kent Albums Chart. It was produced by Charles Fisher (Radio Birdman, The Radiators, Air Supply). The band's live show was all about their rock leanings but the album featured strong ballads that belied that live rock act. In January 1982 they issued another single, "What About Me", which remained at No. 1 for six weeks early that year. Renewed interest in the album saw it reach No. 1 in February on the Kent Albums Chart. The album became the fourth-highest-selling album of the year. "What About Me" won the 'Best Single' category at the 1982 Countdown Awards. It was the second-highest-selling single in Australia for 1982, behind Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger".

The album's third single, "Sweet Cherie", from Days of Innocence peaked at 51, while the fourth and final single, "Winners", reached No. 12 in November. By that time Freeland had been replaced on drums by Mark Meyer (ex-Stylus, Richard Clapton Band, Mark Gillespie Band). Moving Pictures had signed to the Elektra distribution label in the United States, which issued Days of Innocence and "What About Me" in North America. The single reached No. 29 on the Billboard pop singles chart, spending 26 weeks inside the Billboard Hot 100. It made Billboard's year-end Hot 100 list for 1983, at No. 88 – a rare feat for a single with such a low peak position. The song made an unusual comeback in 1989, peaking at No. 46. On the eve of their planned US tour to capitalise on their success there, Elektra was substantially reorganised and their relationship collapsed. The tour was to include support slots with REO Speedwagon, Tom Petty and Hall & Oates as well as their own headlining shows. In hindsight this was Moving Pictures' best opportunity to enter the US market, but it was ruined.

In October 1983 their second album, Matinee, also produced by Fisher, was released. It reached No. 16 in Australia and, of its four singles, only "Back to the Streets", reached the Top 40. The album captured more of the band's live show feel and rock leanings. Late in 1983 the band toured Japan. Due to band problems Frost left the group in 1984, saying "the group had lost direction". He was temporarily replaced on guitar by Joey Amenta (ex-Taste, Redhouse, Russell Morris Band, Wendy and the Rockets) until Kevin Bennett (Allied Harp, Wild Colonial Boys) joined the line-up in 1985. The group continued to tour domestically and had gained a strong, loyal following. In May 1987 they undertook the Live Picture Show Tour and disbanded afterwards. In December that year the next album, The Last Picture Show, based on the tour was issued.

1987–present: Post Moving Pictures
Ex-Moving Pictures members have undertaken various musical careers:
 * Charlie Cole initially worked in Los Angeles, in 1990 he joined Frost's band, 1927. He has recorded work in America with members of the Blues Brothers Band, with James Blundell (in Nashville) and did session work for various individuals and bands including Ed Kuepper. In 1999 Cole returned to Australia and joined The Shuffle Kings in which, as from 2003, he played trumpet, recorder, keyboards and the piano accordion.
 * Garry Frost left Moving Pictures in 1984 feeling the group had lost direction. He concentrated on his song-writing and piano playing – so much so that he developed tendonitis in his wrists. In 1987 he formed a pop-rock group, 1927, with Eric Weideman, whom he had seen performing on Hey Hey It's Saturday's "Red Faces" talent segment. Whilst with 1927, Frost also worked with Gyan co-writing her 1989 hit "Wait". "Wait" was the first single from her self-titled debut album, which won an ARIA award and was certified platinum. In 1990 Frost left 1927, and became co-partner in a Sydney post production studio, he continued writing, performing and producing. Some of Frost's work in the early 2000s was with Sydney singer-songwriter, Djamel and vocalist Carlie Fairburn.
 * Ian Lees formed the blues band, Chasin' the Train, with fellow former Moving Pictures member Kevin Bennett. Lees then became a session bass guitarist, he played with Mal Eastick and Lee Kernaghan. Over his career he has played for The Wild Colonial Boys, Tommy Emmanuel, Tania Kernaghan, Mondo Rock, Phil Emmanuel, Gina Jeffreys, Matt Taylor, and Kevin Borich.
 * Alex Smith formed Alex Smith and the Volunteers aka Alex Smith and DBM, in 1989. The line up included Ben Little (ex-Pink Slips) on guitar, Lee Borkman (Scribble) on keyboards, Dave Carter on bass guitar and Mark O'Shea on drums. In 1991 Smith fronted The Blues Liners, which released a single, "This Time Tomorrow", recorded at Alberts Studios.
 * Andy Thompson became a session musician, he contributed a saxophone solo on Elton John's track, "Li'l 'Frigerator", from his 1984 album, Breaking Hearts. While a member of Moving Pictures Thompson had worked for Mark Gillespie in 1982 and then with Australian Crawl in 1983 for their album, Semantics. He contributed to Jenny Morris' 1987 album, Body And Soul. He toured with Cold Chisel and played with Dire Straits on their Brothers in Arms tour.
 * Kevin Bennett, after forming Chasin' the Train with Lees, went on to blues, roots band, The Flood.
 * Mark Meyer joined Chasin' the Train alongside Lees and Bennett. He has performed in Wendy Matthews touring band and together with Lees have both been long term rhythm section for James Blundell. Meyer and Lees have also worked with Australian guitarist-singer Lawrie Minson and Lee Kernaghan.
 * Original drummer Paul Freeland left the music business to focus on a career in wood-sculpting. Having received formal training as a metallurgist before joining the band, he would also go on to teach manual arts at The School of Performing Arts in Newtown. He died of complications from Alzheimer's in April 2020.

2005: Reunion
In 2005 Moving Pictures reformed as an acoustic trio, with Smith and Cole joined by Dave Carter (ex Alex Smith and DBM), for 26 performances throughout New South Wales and Queensland. In July 2011, to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the initial release of Days of Innocence, Moving Pictures reformed with the line-up of Cole, Frost, Lees, Meyer, Smith and Thompson. They performed in Melbourne and Sydney, including an appearance on breakfast TV show, Sunrise, performing their signature song. Smith described the reformation "this line-up and this band hasn't been in the same room together since 1984 ... I'm just going to play it by ear – same as I used to do every day in the past [...] It will be like, 'What are we here for? We're here to play and have a great time'".

Legacy
In February 2004 Moving Pictures' hit single, "What About Me", was covered by Australian Idol (2003) runner-up Shannon Noll, which peaked at No. 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart – for four weeks. Noll liked the original, "it's just a great song about average people, and there are a lot of us out there ... I didn't mess around with it heaps, I just sang it as honest as possible". "What About Me" is the first Australian single to achieve No. 1 on two separate occasions by two different artists.

Their song, "Never", was used as part of the soundtrack for two films, 1984's Footloose and 2007's Hot Rod. In both cases the song accompanied the film's star doing a punchdance routine. The punchdance routine was also parodied in the Family Guy season 12 episode "Baby Got Black". The band have indicated that due to the bankruptcy of their U.S. record company, and unfortunate timing of the release of "Never", they had not received any royalties whatsoever for the track.

In 2000, BMG Australia released an album, Days of Innocence – The Ultimate Collection, which has remastered tracks from their debut album (reproducing its original cover art), with bonus tracks from Matinee and a couple non-album single sides, such as "Never".

Members

 * Current members
 * Charlie Cole – keyboards, trumpet (1978–1987, 2005, 2011–present)
 * Alex Smith – vocals, guitar (1978–1987, 2005, 2011–present)
 * Garry Frost – guitar, keyboards (1978–1983, 2011–present)
 * Ian Lees – bass (1978–1987, 2011–present)
 * Mark Meyer – drums (1982–1987, 2011–present)
 * Scott Simpkins – saxophone (2018–present)

 * Former members
 * Paul Freeland – drums (1978–1982)
 * Andy Thompson – saxophone (1978–1987, 2011–2016)
 * Joey Amenta – guitar (1983–1985)
 * Kevin Bennett – guitar, keyboards (1985–1987)
 * Andy Bickers – saxophone (2017–2018)

Countdown Australian Music Awards
Countdown was an Australian pop music TV series on national broadcaster ABC-TV from 1974 to 1987, it presented music awards from 1979 to 1987, initially in conjunction with magazine TV Week. The TV Week / Countdown Awards were a combination of popular-voted and peer-voted awards.

 * 1981
 * themselves
 * Best New Talent
 * Nominated
 * rowspan="2" | 1982
 * "What About Me?"
 * Best Single
 * Won
 * themselves
 * Most Popular Group
 * Nominated
 * 1983
 * Charles Fisher for work with Moving Pictures
 * Best Record Producer of the Year
 * Nominated
 * 1983
 * Charles Fisher for work with Moving Pictures
 * Best Record Producer of the Year
 * Nominated

title: Moving Pictures (band)


text:
User:86kit

Name: Siu Yat Kit U Number: 2003333886

title: User:86kit