IAAF says Asafa Powell controversy is completely Jamaica's affair

Updated on: 13 August,2009 07:32 AM IST |
AFP |

World athletics body says Asafa Powell controversy is completely Jamaican Amateur Athletics Association's internal affair

World athletics body says Asafa Powell controversy is completely Jamaican Amateur Athletics Association's internal affair

Former world recordholder Asafa Powell and women's 100m Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser were kicked out of the Jamaican team for the World Athletics Championships, the IAAF announced yesterday.

International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) secretary general Pierre Weiss added the Jamaican Amateur Athletic Association have also thrown out Olympic 400m hurdle champion Melaine Walker, hurdlers Kaliese Spencer and Brigitte Foster-Hylton and 400m sprinter Shericka Williams.

Instead they stayed with their coach Stephen Francis at their Italian training camp in Lignano Sabbiadoro with the World Athletics Championships set to be held at Berlin's Olympic Stadium from August 15-23. "We did not know that we were obliged to join the training camp," said Powell's manager Paul Doyle.

The IAAF are staying out of the matter with spokesman Nick Davies insisting: "It is a Jamaican affair and nothing to do with us."

But all is not lost for the barred group: they have until 12pm (16:30 IST) here on Thursday to be registered before the starting lists for Saturday's 100m heats are submitted.

The episode has added to the turbulent build-up to the championships for the Jamaicans whose sprinters virtually swept all before them at last year's Olympic Games.

Five athletes failed a dope test but were subsequently cleared by their national anti-doping commission.

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