Jamaican sprint legend Merlene Ottey is seeking Slovenian citizenship. The 41-year-old has lived and trained in Slovenia for a number of years, but has not revealed the reasons behind her decision.
It is thought that it could be linked to her controversial selection for the Sydney Olympic team, which was widely disapproved of by fellow team members and the Jamaican public. Ottey had been banned for one year after traces of nandrolone was found in her system, but the IAAF lifted the suspension because her sample was mishandled in the laboratory.
Ottey’s failure to win Olympic gold was the one omission in a glittering career that began in the Moscow Olympics back in 1980.
Filed by Greg McKevitt
