ITALIAN police confiscated unknown substances Monday in a raid on the hotel where Jamaican sprinters, Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson, were staying after each tested positive for banned stimulants. Rooms of the athletes and physical trainer, Christopher Xuereb of Canada, were searched and drugs and muscle supplements were seized, Udine Police Captain, Antonio Pisapia said.
Pisapia said it was unclear if the drugs and muscle supplements were legal or illicit and that the substances were being analysed. “We are examining the substances now,” Pisapia said. “No arrests have been made and nobody has been placed under investigation.” The raid took place at the Fra i Pini hotel in Lignano Sabbiadoro in northeastern Italy.
Powell, a former world-record holder at 100 metres, and Simpson tested positive for the stimulant oxilofrine at the Jamaican championships last month, their agent announced on Sunday. The police captain with the specialised NAS unit added that Powell and Simpson were informed of the positive tests on Saturday morning. The raid came in stark contrast to the usual warm reception that the runners generally receive in Lignano, and the town’s Mayor, Luca Fanotto recommended “caution” before drawing conclusions.
“The Jamaican team has chosen the sports facilities of Lignano Sabbiadoro as their training base for years and they never forget to thank the city from podiums all over the world,” Fanotto said in a statement. A local athletics meet is scheduled for today in Lignano and the Jamaicans had been scheduled to compete as they do most years. However, neither Powell nor Simpson were on start lists released Monday.
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