Bolt and Jamaica team mates ordered to return relay medals

By Kayon Raynor

KINGSTON (Reuters) - Usain Bolt and his Jamaican team mates who won the 4 x 100m relay at the 2008 Beijing Games have been told by the country's Olympic Association to return their gold medals following Nesta Carter's failed drug test.

Mike Fennell, Jamaica Olympic Association president, told Reuters that Carter, Bolt, Asafa Powell, Michael Frater and Dwight Thomas are being contacted following the ruling of the International Olympic Committee.

"I can confirm that letters have been dispatched to the five members of the gold medal-winning team from the Beijing Games in 2008 requesting the return of the medals as directed by the IOC," Fennell told Reuters by telephone on Thursday.

Fennell, who previously served as president of the Commonwealth Games Federation, did not indicate whether a time frame had been given, but he confirmed that Carter would be appealing against the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

"In our discussions with Nesta so far he's discussing that matter (appealing to CAS) with his attorneys, both local and in the UK," Fennell told Reuters.

He did not comment on BBC reports that the Jamaica Olympic Association might appeal against the ruling that they, too, should forfeit their medals.

In the case of Bolt, losing his would reduce his career haul of Olympic golds from nine to eight.

(Editing by Neville Dalton and Pritha Sarkar)