IAAF intervenes to keep Speed Maker Asafa Powell in Jamaican team

The Jamaican Amateur Athletics Association, already beleaguered after a drugs controversy, had planned to ban six athletes including Powell

Asafa Powell

Olympic 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser and Beijing 400m hurdles gold medallist Melaine Walker for disciplinary reasons after they failed to attend a pre-World Championship training camp in Nuremburg.

Asafa Powell photo

But on a chaotic day in Berlin, the JAAA backed down after the International Association of Athletics Federations, fearing the loss of marquee names

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put pressure on Jamaican officials to change their mind because the world governing body felt the athletes' exclusion would reflect badly on the championship.

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We asked Jamaica to reconsider in the interest of sport,general secretary of the IAAF, knowing how crucial the week-long championships will be to restoring some of track and field's lost lustre.

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There was considerable relief from organisers and the athletes' management when the drama was resolved on Wednesday night, especially since the men's 100m opens the championships this weekend and the absence of Powell, pitted against his compatriot, Olympic champion Usain Bolt, and America's defending champion Tyson Gay, would have robbed the event of one of its premier attractions.