STEPHEN FRANCIS, the coach off former world record holder Asafa Powell is expressing grave concern about the frequency with which the athlete is  being blood drug tested ahead of the start of competition at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Francis said Powell had been tested three times in the last five days and seven vials of blood taken. The latest occasion was at 10:15 p.m. Thursday evening London time, less than two days before the sprinter bows into action in the heats of the men's 100m metres on Saturday morning.

MVP President Bruce James told the Jamaica Observer that Francis called him from the athletes' village in London and said that Powell was taken his room late Thursday evening and taken to a different location to be tested.

No other MVP athlete has been tested as many times and Francis thought the  number of tests done on Powell was exccessive.

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