Powell and five other Jamaicans to be withdrawn from worlds

Berlin - Jamaica wants former 100 metres world record holder Asafa Powell, women's 100m Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser and four other athletes out of its world championship team, the ruling body IAAF said on Wednesday. IAAF officials said they have been asked by Jamaican athletics federation to scrap the six athletes from the entry lists for the August 15-23 championships and to bar them from the official team hotel. The athletes are reportedly not welcome on the team for disciplinary reasons, after they are yet to arrive at a mandatory team training camp in southern Germany. The other four are Olympic 400m silver medallist Shericka Williams, 100m hurdles Commonwealth Games champion Brigitte Foster-Hilton, 400m hurdles Olympic champion Melanie Walker and sprinter Kaliese Spencer. The final entry lists are to be submitted on Thursday, two days ahead of the start of competition. While superstar Usain Bolt, the three-time Olympic champion and world record holder over 100m, 200m and 4x100m, is not affected, the absence of the five could heavily undermine Jamaica's ambitions in Berlin. Jamaica won five out six sprint gold medals at the Olympics in Beijing last year and is hoping to beat the rival US athletes again in Berlin. In addition to the six athletes, there are also question marks over five others, including sprint medal contender Yohan Blake. The five athletes failed doping tests at the national championships but have been cleared by the disciplinary commission of Jamaica's Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO). However, JADCO said earlier in the week it wants to appeal this ruling. The ruling body IAAF said it is still waiting for the paperwork from Jamaica to look into the affair its vice-president Helmut Digel of Germany named 'amazing.'