Jamaican sprint star Veronica Campbell-Brown, embroiled in a doping scandal that has rocked her homeland, has accepted a provisional suspension while her case is being investigated.
Jamaican Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) president Warren Blake said on Tuesday that a disciplinary panel is being assembled to hear the case of the two-time Olympic 200-meter champion.
His statement came three days after Jamaica’s Gleaner newspaper and Television Jamaica reported Campbell-Brown for the banned diuretic lasix, although no reference to doping was made in Blake’s statement.
Blake would only confirm that a Campbell-Brown case is ongoing and that she has voluntarily withdrawn from competition pending a decision from the panel that will hear the case. No timetable was given for that hearing.
Campbell-Brown will not compete at this week’s Jamaican championships, the qualifying meet for the world championships at Moscow in August. She also withdrew from the June 29 Edmonton International Track Classic in Canada.
The Gleaner reported that Campbell-Brown would not defend her 200 world title at Moscow after “A” and “B” samples taken on May 4 from the Jamaica Invitational at Kingston had tested positive for lasix.
She won the 100m title at the Jamaica meet last month in 11.01 seconds.
Campbell-Brown, who turned 31 a month ago, won Olympic 200 gold in 2004 at Athens and 2008 at Beijing but finished fourth last year at the London Games behind Allyson Felix of the United States.
With a bronze in the London Olympic 100m and silver as a member of the 4×100 relay last year, Campbell-Brown raised her total to 16 medals taken for Jamaica in world and Olympic meets.
Officials confirm Campbell-Brown doping probe
