SYDNEY, Oct 15: Sprint legend Usain Bolt says he�s stunned after being handed a drug testing notice despite retiring from athletics and having no professional contract as he bids to launch a football career in Australia.
The 100m world record-holder quit athletics last year and is yet to be offered a deal by Australia�s Central Coast Mariners, where he is currently on trial.
�So guys I�ve retired from track and field looking to become a footballer but look at this,� Bolt said on Monday via an Instagram video as he zoomed in on the notice.
The demand for the out of competition test � to collect urine and blood � appears to have been issued by Football Federation Australia.
�How am I going to get a drug test today? I�m not even a professional footballer yet. Seriously,� said Bolt.
�So I asked the lady, �Why am I getting drug tested when I haven�t signed for a club yet?� and she said they told her I�m an elite athlete so I have to get tested. Okay then.�
Despite his displeasure, it appears the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority guidelines mean he is eligible to be tested. Their legislation defines an athlete as a �person who competes in sport� if �the sport has an anti-doping policy�.
The eight-time Olympic champion, who dominated sprinting after taking double individual gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, is now bidding to become a professional footballer.
He made his case on Friday by scoring two goals for the Mariners in a pre-season friendly.
The superstar, a massive Manchester United fan, has been handed a chance to train with the A-League side for an indefinite period in order to pursue his dream. � AFP
