Former 100metre world record holder Asafa Powell and Olympic sprint champion Shelly-Ann Fraser were today pulled out of the World Championships by the Jamaican team.

Powell, who had been gearing up for a showdown with Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay, and Fraser are among five athletes who failed to attend a training camp in Nuremberg and all of them have now been taken off the entry list by the IAAF.

The others are hurdling duo Brigitte Foster-Hylton and Melaine Walker, and sprinter Shericka Williams and all are members of the Maximising Velocity Power (MVP) Track Club.

The Jamaicans have taken a hard line, having clashed with the MVP club last year when several of their athletes, including Powell, did not arrive on time at a pre-Olympic training camp in Tianjin.

The absence of the five will weaken the Jamaican team although there is still time for a reprieve as changes can be made to the entry list up to 48 hours before Saturday's opening event.