Nike is reported to have told Jones that if she does not end her association with Francis plans for a multi-million-dollar advertising campaign centred on her in the lead-up to the 2004 Olympics would be shelved.

Francis was the coach who supervised Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson's drug regime.

Johnson was stripped of his gold medal after winning the 100m at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 and was subsequently banned for life from the sport.

Jones's boyfriend Tim Montgomery, the world record holder for 100 metres, has also cut his ties with Francis.

E-mail your views.

So, Jones and Montgomery cannot be coached by Francis because he was previously linked to drugs in sport. But now Linford Christie has been selected as head coach to the British team for the forthcoming Indoor meeting and l don't hear anything about his past involvement with drugs, not once, but twice.

I can't believe the stupidity of Montgomery, and particularly of Marion Jones Dave, Germany

Surely, this can only be because he is British, and goodness knows, British athletes are whiter than snow and are never guilty of anything unlike (Johnny) foreigners.
Janet, London

Charlie Francis was, and is, undeniably a great coach and probably the best coach in the world. His achievements speak for themselves not only in the sprints, where might I remind you our own runner in the same race was hauled up on drug charges, but the help he has given other sports including basketball, ice hockey, and American football speak for themselves.

Don't forget also, the current Olympic and world champion is coached by a man who was known to take banned substances in his time as an athlete and has also been named a drugs coach.

People need to face the truth. Either you want records to be broken and standards to improve and all that goes with that or you sit back and cheer with all your might at guys winning the 100m in 10.3sec.
Olvin Williams, UK

Happy? I'm confused as to why she even linked up with him in the first place. Common sense prevailed and she saw her mistake, but it will haunt her.
Shenika, Northampton

I can't believe the stupidity of Montgomery, and particularly of Marion Jones. Couldn't she see the PR disaster that would result from this decision? After all she's been tarred with the doping brush before, at least indirectly, when her ex-husbund C.J. Hunter was shown to be a drugs cheat.

As a coach myself, involved at grassroots level with children's athletics in Germany, I know that this is sending the wrong message to those at all levels in the sport.
Dave, Germany

Charlie's record is far from the worst Steve Wall, Canada

It's shameful for Tim and Marion Jones to drop Francis after the pressure around the US and their sponsors - but why in the first place did they choose him to be their coach?
Tukana Sam, Vanuatu

Marion Jones has shown the whole world her only concern is money.
DAA, England

I'm afraid I can't let some extreme and unfounded comments go unchallenged. Joe Pineau says that steroids have killed athletes and possession amounts to a felony. Laws are specific to each country.

Charlie never killed anybody and there are lots of over the counter "supplements" in the US that can kill you more readily than any unproven steroid effects. Acute overdose is impossible, long term effects have not been well documented. Smoking can kill you faster.

When Charlie legally got a doctor to prescribe low doses of steroids to his athletes who consented and were adults, they were not scheduled/controlled. Since then they have become "illegal" with the biggest penalties being in the US, but I don't see Charlie smuggling steroids in from anywhere or getting arrested.

I suggest that one looks at the many coaches who have, with their country's help, given drugs to their athletes and helped them avoid detection.

Charlie's record is far from the worst. In fact, he simply hasn't applied for reinstatement from the only country that banned him, Canada.

The only reason coaches from other countries, e.g., Germany aren't considered in the same light is because those country's federations and government have supported known former doping coaches, and most importantly, Charlie exposed people who were involved in doping in sport. These coaches admit nothing as opposed to Charlie.

Canada shouldn't have been the only governing body to ban Francis Phil Sears, UK

Charles Dubin, who has first hand knowledge of Mr Francis' day to day life in the past 15 years, has recommended another chance and reinstatement. I guess Nike's PR concerns take precedence over any consistent ethical judgement.

The hypocrisy is that Charlie is consulted by the world's elite coaches and athletes all the time. The sponsors and IAAF are willing to take advantage of his knowledge to produce better performances and thus better revenues, but shun him publicly in the absence of any consistent policy on coaches and doping.
Steve Wall, Canada

It is difficult to imagine what went through their minds going to Francis in the first place. A shame if the only reason to dump him is the financial aspect, rather than the principle and the damaging effect such a relationship would inevitably have on the sport.

Canada shouldn't have been the only governing body to ban Francis, the IAAF should have banned him from coaching for life as well, faced with his own admittance and attitude at the time of Ben Johnson's disgrace.
Phil Sears, UK

This marks first - corporate sponsors doing something good for sport. Still leaves question marks over Jones and Montgomery though.
Ian, UK

It looks like Jones is placing money over principles. Why choose Charlie in the first place? Why dump him when money is involved? Sorry, Marion- you've lost me as a big fan.
Dominic Rappazzo, USA

It is every athlete's inalienable right to be coached by whoever they choose Richard Oram, UK

Jones has always put marketing first, so firing Francis should come as no surprise. It's a shame, because the expertise of the unpopular coach may have been just the stimulus she needed to claim the 100-metre world record.
Joel Sink, United States

Marion Jones is right to drop her disgraced coach. She has set a good example for upcoming sportmen and women.
Santosh, Dubai

It is obviously every athlete's inalienable right to be coached by whoever they choose. However, it is also every promoter's right to invite the athletes that he/she wants, or any sponsor's right to fund any athlete they want. You can't have right of choice for some and not others.
Richard Oram, UK

To a certain degree I do think that Marion Jones was right to drop coach Charlie Francis but perhaps the world of athletics should have given him a chance first.

He hasn't properly been involved in the sport for a long time and maybe he has learnt from his mistakes, he is obviously a good coach for Jones to have picked him but he does have his downfall. Maybe she should have given Francis a chance? Who knows?
Pete, England

His supposed denouncement of drug use is merely waffle Jake, UK

Others have done worse things than Charlie and not be penalized. He is a good coach and deserves to prove that he is. Maybe no American coach has ever known that the athlete he is coaching ever took drugs.
E Joseph, Canada

Charlie Francis is one of the great sprint coaches, however, on his website Ben Johnson features prominently as an advert for his expertise and until recently top performances in athletics were according to Francis not possible without the use of drugs.

His supposed denouncement of drug use is merely waffle. The man lied until 1988 when Johnson was caught so why believe him now?
Jake, UK

Yes, I'm 100% in support of her decision to drop coach Francis. We don't want another "Ben Johnson" episode.
Edward Ikanone, Nigeria

I think that Marion Jones has done the right think by dropping coach Charlie Francis.

It does not give the right impression for such a high standard athlete to have a coach which openly agrees with drugs after the comments he made after his athlete Ben Johnson tested positive for drugs. He should not be allowed to coach at any level.
Linzi, Scotland

I think Marion Jones should think of the future when her coach is caught providing drugs. She should think of the risks she is taking by keeping her coach and what he could do in the future.
Kenneth Rae, Scotland

People should just leave her alone. If it works out good and if not that's her problem....
Chinedu Nwachukwu Peter, Nigeria

Her sponsors are obviously more concerned about their own image Mike Emeka Aneke, UK/Nigeria

Nobody has provided any evidence to suggest that Francis was feeding Jones and Montgomery with drugs. It amounts to breaching the athletes' right of association to pressure them to drop their coach. Seoul '88 was way back and Francis and Jones & Montgomery surely learnt a lesson after the disgrace of Ben Johnson.
Everest Onyewuchi, Nigeria

It's her inalienable right to associate with whom she chooses albeit, a professional coach. But let her not complain when a urine sample is demanded from her time and time again.

Her sponsors are obviously more concerned about their image than an individual's right to associate with others.
Mike Emeka Aneke, UK/Nigeria

Nike have done the right thing by giving an ultimatum, however it is up to the individual who they want to coach them, saying that though, there is no logical decision, for Montgomery or Jones to change to a coach that is proven to agree with the use of drugs in athletics.
Dominic Hopson, UK

Jones has shown herself to have principles only when there is money involved.
Dougal McKinnon, UK

Unless it's been proved that he's supplied Jones or any other athlete that he coaches with drugs, I think big business should keep their noses out.

Please forgive Francis and let him have a second chance Njock Michael, Finland

He's paid his debt to society and should be allowed another chance. If he mucks that next chance up then do something like exiling him. I think it's a very dangerous precedent that is being set.

It's up to athletics and sport in general to manage people who have offended, not big business. It hasn't been proved that Jones has done anything wrong and I think it should be left at that. To pressure an athlete into this sort of decision I think is a disgrace.
Claire W, UK

Francis was banned for life for cheating with a drug that can, and has, killed athletes and whose use and possession amounts to a felony. Reinstated?

The question should be, why is he not serving time in a cell block? Why do we have so little respect for the lives and health of our most talented young athletes that we would risk re-exposing them to this menace?
John Pineau, USA

It's very difficult to say to what coaches are involved with athletes training, so basing on that, if the athletes are really getting benefit from the coach Francis, then he should be allowed in to the game.
Suresh, India

Please forgive Francis and let him have a second chance. Justice should be for all and not only the for coaches. We lose a lot of good people because of bad decisions that we take in some cases.
Njock Michael, Finland