Drug officials target Jamaican athletes ahead of Moscow Worlds

Jamaica’s 44-member contingent preparing to participate in the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, starting this weekend, has been tested for illegal drugs.

Agents from the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) swooped down on the camp earlier Monday to conduct drug tests on the Jamaican athletes ahead of the August 10th to 18th games, the Observer reported.

Team officials confirmed to the paper that all members of the team were blood tested.

Athletes and officials are based at the Radisson Slavyanskaya Hotel and Business Centre.

Jamaica’s track and field programme has been under siege this year with six athletes testing positive for banned substances.

They include multiple Olympic Games and World Championships gold medallist Veronica Campbell Brown, World championships bronze medallist Asafa Powell and Olympic Games silver medallist Sherone Simpson.

Campbell Brown tested positive for a stimulant at the Jamaica International invitational in May while Powell and Simpson tested positive at the National Senior Championships in June.