Fothergill... they informed me on Friday

Three of five athletes whose drug tests, after last month's National Senior Championships, showed adverse analytical findings (AAF) have confirmed that they have been contacted by the local authorities.

Allodin Fothergill and Lansford Spence, both 400-metre runners and 100-metre sprinter Sheri-Ann Brooks are now considering their options.

A Sunday Gleaner investigation yesterday obtained comments from one athlete and the managers of the other two.

"Yes, they informed me on Friday," said Fothergill, who is not sure when he will return home for a hearing.

Brooks' manager Chris Mychasiw, who is confident his client has nothing to be worried about, said: "She was informed."

"We are now trying to arrange a flight for her to return for the hearing," he added, noting Brooks had researched the 'supplement' and found nothing wrong with it.

Henry Rolle, Spence's coach, said his athlete "was informed."

Rolle said Spence, who returned to the USA yesterday from Europe where he competed on Friday, will now make arrangements to attend the hearing in Jamaica.

confirmation

Two other Jamaican athletes have been named by an Italian newspaper but The Sunday Gleaner was unable to get confirmation from the athletes' camps yesterday on the authenticity of those reports.

When contacted yesterday to confirm the names now dominating the news in track and field, executive director of the Jamaican Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO), Dr Patrece Charles-Freeman, remained tight-lipped.

"I would not want to confirm any suggestion ... . As executive director of JADCO, we have a process to follow and, therefore, we cannot confirm any names that are circulating."

The process to which Dr Charles-Freeman referred, according to a release JADCO sent on Friday, was that of notifying the athletes before disclosing the names.

"It's more than informing the athletes," added Charles-Freeman, who said such information cannot be released until after the hearing.

However, a source told The Sunday Gleaner yesterday that all the athletes were notified on Friday.

Meanwhile, the website Sportinglife.com yesterday quoted Jamaica's world 100- and 200-metre record-holder Usain Bolt as saying "he's all right, he's all right," after a member of his Racers Track Club team refused to comment on the matter to waiting reporters on yesterday's second and final day of the London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace.

Commenting on the five positive tests, Bolt was reported as saying: "We have to wait until the B sample is tested first before we know if it's serious or it's not."

hearing

The athletes are now required to attend a hearing and, according to a Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association official, "they will need to report as early as possible if they are to retain their spots on the World Championships team."

According to the official, this is to facilitate registration for final entries.

JADCO is the organisation which will conduct the hearings.

On Friday, JADCO and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) both confirmed the positive tests but stated that it was too early in the process to reveal the names of the athletes under suspicion or the substances involved.