Jamaica starts testing athletes for drugs

Kingston - Jamaica's anti-doping agency says it has started collecting blood samples to test athletes on the island that produces the world's top sprinters.

Carey Brown, the executive director of the Jamaica anti-doping commission, says blood testing began this month with the assistance of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport.

Brown says the launch of blood testing "is a step in the right direction for anti-doping in Jamaica."

Over the last couple of years, Jamaica has been working to set up an effective drug-testing programme following revelations of a complete lack of out-of-competition testing leading up to the 2012 London Olympics.

During a visit to Jamaica earlier this year, WADA president Craig Reedie said he was "hugely impressed" by the progress made by Jamaican authorities.