BY PAUL A REID

Observer writer

MONTEGO BAY, St James — The hearing into the doping charges against sprint star Veronica Campbell Brown is expected to get under way very soon, the Jamaica Observer has been reliably informed.

Campbell Brown, who tested positive for a stimulant at the May 4 Jamaica International Invitational (JII), has requested a hearing from the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) which has three months in which to put together a panel. The deadline for the request from the Campbell Brown camp was July 26 and it is understood that it was made on time.

It is also understood that the hearing could take place soon, as the athlete, who has won 10 medals in the Olympic Games and World Championships, fights to clear her name of doping charges.

As a result of the ‘B’ sample being confirmed, Campbell Brown, the defending champion in the women’s 200m, will miss the 14th IAAF World Championships that is set to start next week in Moscow, Russia, as she has been provisionally suspended until the hearing is completed.

She is one of three top sprinters, including former men’s 100m world record holder Asafa Powell and Olympic Games silver medallist Sherone Simpson who tested positive for another stimulant at the June JAAA National Senior Championships, who will miss the global spectacle.

The absence of Campbell Brown and Simpson will be a big loss to the women’s 4x100m relay team as both played big roles in the team’s silver medal performance at the London Olympic Games last year when they ran a National Record 41.41 seconds.

Meanwhile, the Observer understands that the substance that Campbell Brown tested positive for is a stimulant, and not a diuretic as previously speculated.

Positive tests for stimulants attract a maximum three months suspension or public warnings and the news confirms reports carried by the Observer in June, and later confirmed by the IAAF that the matter was a ‘minor’ offence.

News of Campbell Brown’s positive test in mid-June rocked the track and field world, but except for a brief statement just over a week later, the track superstar’s handlers have refused to make any public statements, and her manager Claude Bryan has declined several interview requests from the Observer as late as earlier this week.