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Berlin - Former 100 metres world record holder Asafa Powell, Olympic 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser and four other Jamaican athletes did not violate the whereabouts doping rule when they failed to show up at a national team world championship training camp. "They gave their details. We knew where they were," spokesman Nick Davies from the ruling athletics body IAAF said on Thursday.
The six athletes did attend the mandatory Jamaican training camp in southern Germany but trained in Italy.
The Jamaican athletics federation on Wednesday wanted the athletes withdrawn from the team because they allegedly violated the whereabouts rule as the Jamaican federation had listed them as part of the training camp.
But the request was withdrawn later that day after talks with IAAF boss Lamine Diack and other officials. However, Jamaican officials did not rule out sanctions after the Berlin worlds which start on Saturday and run until August 23.
Diack said on Thursday that the IAAF intervened for the good of the championships, which are to provide as much class as the athletics events at last year's Beijing Olympics.
"We want to make Berlin a repeat of Beijing," said Diack. "We can not do this if Jamaica does this (withdraw the athletes). You can have national reasons. I have far important reasons. I went to the Jamaican team and explained it."
Jamaica won five of six sprint titles in Beijing, highlighted by 100m, 200m and 4x100m titles from Usain Bolt in world record time. The team hopes to be as successful in Berlin.
Powell said he was not amused about the case, telling Thursday's edition of the Jamaica Observer: "It's just really bad how our own country was fighting us down and someone else had to stop it.
"I honestly wasn't worried, I more felt bad about the whole situation because my own people were fighting me off (the team) and I have been in this thing for a while now."
"I'm going out there to do my best, but I'm not comfortable," Powell said.
Still unresolved is the case of five Jamaican sprinters including 100m hope Yohan Blake.
The athletes tested positive for a stimulant in June, were cleared by a disciplinary commission but the nation's anti-doping body JADCO has appealed this ruling.
The IAAF said it will reach a decision on the five before Saturday's start of the worlds. The Jamaican federation announced a news conference for later Thursday on the issue.
The six athletes did attend the mandatory Jamaican training camp in southern Germany but trained in Italy.
The Jamaican athletics federation on Wednesday wanted the athletes withdrawn from the team because they allegedly violated the whereabouts rule as the Jamaican federation had listed them as part of the training camp.
But the request was withdrawn later that day after talks with IAAF boss Lamine Diack and other officials. However, Jamaican officials did not rule out sanctions after the Berlin worlds which start on Saturday and run until August 23.
Diack said on Thursday that the IAAF intervened for the good of the championships, which are to provide as much class as the athletics events at last year's Beijing Olympics.
"We want to make Berlin a repeat of Beijing," said Diack. "We can not do this if Jamaica does this (withdraw the athletes). You can have national reasons. I have far important reasons. I went to the Jamaican team and explained it."
Jamaica won five of six sprint titles in Beijing, highlighted by 100m, 200m and 4x100m titles from Usain Bolt in world record time. The team hopes to be as successful in Berlin.
Powell said he was not amused about the case, telling Thursday's edition of the Jamaica Observer: "It's just really bad how our own country was fighting us down and someone else had to stop it.
"I honestly wasn't worried, I more felt bad about the whole situation because my own people were fighting me off (the team) and I have been in this thing for a while now."
"I'm going out there to do my best, but I'm not comfortable," Powell said.
Still unresolved is the case of five Jamaican sprinters including 100m hope Yohan Blake.
The athletes tested positive for a stimulant in June, were cleared by a disciplinary commission but the nation's anti-doping body JADCO has appealed this ruling.
The IAAF said it will reach a decision on the five before Saturday's start of the worlds. The Jamaican federation announced a news conference for later Thursday on the issue.
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