Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell test positive to doping
World body insists every athlete caught is a victory as track superstars Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson all test positive
International athletics is in turmoil after some of the biggest names in sprinting returned positive doping tests, but the credibility of track and field's anti-doping programme has been "enhanced, not diminished", the IAAF insists.
Less than a month before the world championships in Moscow, American former world 100-metres champion Tyson Gay's positive test was followed by news that Jamaicans Asafa Powell, who held the world record in the 100m until Usain Bolt lowered it in 2008, and Olympic gold medallist Sherone Simpson also faced suspension after failing tests last month.
IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said the sport's governing body did not comment on pending cases, but added that the fight against doping "is enhanced, not diminished, each time we are able to uncover a new case".
"The IAAF's commitment to anti-doping in athletics is unwavering because we have an ethical obligation to the majority of athletes who believe in clean sport," Davies said. "The fact that we are able to detect and remove from the sport athletes who have breached our anti-doping rules should be seen in this context."
The IAAF's commitment to anti-doping in athletics is unwavering because we have an ethical obligation to the majority of athletes who believe in clean sport
Powell, 30, called for an investigation into how a stimulant called oxilofrine entered his system. "I am not now - nor have I ever been - a cheat," Powell posted on Twitter.