Jamaicans positive for methylxanthine - official

The five members of Jamaica's world championship squad who returned positive doping tests had traces of the stimulant methylxanthine in their urine samples, a Jamaican anti-doping official told Reuters.

Three of the five, 400 metres runners Allodin Fothergill and Lansford Spence and Commonwealth Games women's 100 metres champion Sheri-Ann Brooks, confirmed they had been informed of the positive tests, the Jamaica Gleaner reported on Sunday.

None of the five were medal winners in Beijing.

All five tested positive for methylxanthine, the Jamaican anti-doping official said. While not listed on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) prohibited list, methylxanthine falls within a category of stimulants banned by the agency, anti-doping experts said.

A hearing on their cases is scheduled for tomorrow by the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association (JAAA) if 'B sample' results are known in time, the official said.

If the process is not completed and the athletes not cleared by Thursday, the five could not be part of Jamaica's team at the world championships, which start in Berlin on August 15, the official said.