KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) was late yesterday holding discussions with five athletes who tested positive for banned substances.
Local track and field officials have withheld the names of the athletes – four men and one woman – but CMC understands that all five athletes are members of the squad selected for the IAAF World Championship in Berlin next month.
The list of does not include any of the Olympic champions from Beijing.
Earlier yesterday, JADCO’s executive director Dr Patrece Charles-Freeman acknowledged the probe.
“JADCO has no comment at this time. We will be making a statement on the matter soon,” she added.
The IAAF, the world’s governing body for the sport, confirmed yesterday that five Jamaican athletes were involved.
In the meantime, the story has gripped Jamaican fans and the prime minister Bruce Golding met earlier yesterday with JADCO and top athletics officials discuss the crisis.
Jamaica captured world attention with their magnificent performance at the Beijing Olympics last summer when they landed all the major individual sprint titles while picking up an all-time best 11 medals – six gold, three silver and two bronze.
They finished third in the track and field medal table, behind the USA, with seven gold, nine silver and seven bronze, and Russia (6-5-7).
