London, June 21 (IANS/CMC) The world's governing body for athletics says the doping case involving Jamaican sprint star Veronica Campbell-Brown appears to be a minor offence.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) says the case against Campbell-Brown appears to involve a "lesser" offence of unintentional use of a banned substance, reports CMC.
The reigning 200-metre world champion and three-time Olympic gold medallist was suspended by Jamaica's national federation pending an investigation into a positive drug test.
"We can acknowledge that there is a case, but also take the opportunity to urge a sense of perspective," declared IAAF Deputy General Secretary Nick Davies.
"This seems, from evidence, to be a minor doping offence, according to our rules, so we want to remain realistic in our reaction, pending the conclusion of the case."
Campbell-Brown, the 2004 and 2008 Olympic champion in the 200 metres, tested positive for a banned diuretic at a meet on the island last month and was suspended from competition while a disciplinary panel reviews the case.
The sanction for a lesser offence can be a reduced penalty - a suspension of a few months to a year or a public warning - rather than a standard two-year ban.
"It is up to our member federations to enforce our rules," Davies told reporters.
"Although we would not normally comment on active cases (we) would simply remind media to keep (a) sense of perspective - all evidence seems to point to this offense being a lesser one."
Diuretics can be used to mask the use of banned substances.
Under the World Anti-Doping Code, some diuretics are classified as a "specified substance," a designation for drugs that might have been consumed without intent to enhance performance.
--IANS/CMC
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