Jamaican bobsledder failed pre-Games doping test: Jamaica Bobsleigh

By Kayon Raynor KINGSTON (Reuters) - A member of the Jamaican women's bobsleigh team which competed at the recent Winter Olympics tested positive for a banned substance in January, the President of the Jamaica Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation told Reuters on Friday. "Well, we got a notification that one our athletes returned an adverse analytical finding and we're very much in a process," Christian Stokes said. "Early days yet, but what I will say in all the circumstances, we are confident we will end with a positive outcome." The athlete has been notified of the violation by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, Stokes said, and she now faces the possibility of a four-year suspension. The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, which is located in Switzerland, did not immediately respond to e-mailed queries about the Jamaican case on Friday evening. The Jamaican team, which finished 19th in the two-woman bobsleigh in Pyeongchang, was comprised of American-born driver Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian and former track sprinter Carrie Russell. Attempts to contact both women were unsuccessful. "As we've seen over the years, it's best to be patient and see what comes out of these processes ... we ourselves are going through the process," Stokes said. "I'm not at liberty to discuss the substance itself, but just to say that the (banned) list is long and there are many ways to end up with substances in your system, on purpose or inadvertently or simple by going about your daily life. So we are assessing what our particular situation is." A source with knowledge of case indicated that the "A" sample from the test carried out on Jan. 13 in Switzerland showed traces of the banned steroid, Clenbuterol. The "B" sample has yet to be tested, the source added. The bobsleigh team received a lot of attention in Pyeongchang as they were the first female athletes from the Caribbean island nation to compete at a Winter Olympics. Their breakthrough appearance came 30 years after a Jamaican men's team competed at the Calgary Olympics, inspiring the highly successful movie "Cool Runnings". (Editing by Nick Mulvenney)