Italian police detain trainer linked to Asafa Powell

Asafa Powell

Montego Bay (Jamaica), July 15 (IANS/CMC) A physical trainer associated with former world record holder Asafa Powell and Olympic medallist Sherone Simpson was held and questioned by Italian Police Sunday night.

The trainer’s name has been withheld but the person was reportedly questioned about the presence of banned substances found in samples provided by the athletes at the National Senior Championships held last month, CMC reports.

Powell’s publicist and business partner Tara Playfair-Scott confirmed on her twitter page that the Canadian trainer, who joined the MVP camp in May, was detained by Italian police after the officers raided his hotel room in Italy.

Jamaica Observer has quoted sources as saying the Italian police confiscated a number of items from the trainer’s hotel room.

Powell, Simpson along with discus thrower Allison Randall, the Central American and Caribbean Senior Games gold medallist, have released statements confirming anti-doping authorities had notified them that they returned adverse analytical findings at the Trials.

The three athletes have denied using Performance Enhancing Drugs.

Powell and Simpson tested positive for the substance oxilofrine (methylsynephrine), which is a stimulant, while Randall tested positive for Hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic which can be used as a masking agent for other more serious drugs.

As a result of the findings all three have been provisionally banned from further competition, and Simpson, who had finished second in both the 100m and 200m at the Trials, will likely miss the IAAF World Championships to be held in Moscow August 10-18.

–IANS/CMC

bs/dg