Powell banned 18 months for doping

Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell, the former 100 metres world record-holder, has been banned from competing for the rest of the year after an anti-doping disciplinary panel ruled that he was "negligent" and "at fault" when he tested positive for the banned stimulant oxilofrine at last summer's Jamaican Championships in Kingston.
According to Telegraph,the 31-year-old athlete was given an 18-month suspension, backdated to the day of his drug test on June 21 last year and ending on Dec 28 this year.

It means he will miss the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as well as the lucrative Diamond League series, which opens in Doha next month.

However Powell has announced that he would appeal against the ban at the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, describing the length of the suspension as "unfair" and "patently unjust".