Beleaguered Jamaican Anti-Doping Commission hit by resignations
From CNN
PHOTO: Former world-record holder Asafa Powell was one of the Jamaican sprinters who failed a drug test this year.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The entire board of the under-fire Jamaican Anti-Doping Commission resigns
The resignations come after several sprinters failed drug tests this year
Those caught included the high-profile pair of Veronica Campbell-Brown and Asafa Powell
A former head of the commission said few drug tests were carried out in early 2012
(CNN) — The board of Jamaica’s Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) resigned after several of the Caribbean nation’s sprinters were caught cheating earlier this year and a former head of the body highlighted a lack of testing.
Jamaica’s minister responsible for sport, Natalie Neita Headley, announced the news while also saying her country vowed to step up the fight against drug cheats.
The resignations take effect at the end of 2013.
“Quite recently, JADCO’s commissioners met and acknowledged that there is a public perception of the existence of conflicts of interests among some of the members of the commission,” Headley said in a statement posted on the website of the Office of the Prime Minister.
Even though Jamaicans Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce were named male and female athletes of the year, respectively, by track and field’s governing body last week, ex world-record holder Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson made the wrong type of headlines when they admitted to testing positive for banned substances in July.
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Veronica Campbell-Brown tested positive, too, although she was cleared to return by officials in Jamaica who deemed she didn’t intend to enhance performance through taking a banned diuretic.
Members of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) examined JADCO’s operations last month and Headley said Jamaica would give its “full support” to stiffer revisions to the WADA code expected to come into play in 2015.
In August, Renee Anne Shirley — the former executive director of JADCO — told Sports Illustrated that JADCO conducted a mere one out-of-competition test from March to July 2012, the months leading into the summer Olympics in London.
“At no time has WADA ever deemed Jamaica or JADCO to be non-compliant,” Headley said. “At no time has WADA threatened to bar Jamaica or Jamaican athletes from participating in any international event — Olympic Games, World Championship or the like.
“As we continue to build on this rich sporting legacy, the Government of Jamaica will continue to do whatever it can to protect our good name and reputation and in the maintenance of a doping-free sporting environment.”
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See related story:
Jamaica’s senior drug tester fears the worst after doping scandal
From Caribbean 360
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC- A senior doping control officer with Jamaica’s Anti-Doping Commission, Dr.Paul Wright, has said that the sudden surge of athletes failing tests at the country’s national trials in June had left him fearing the worst.
Dr.Wright, an officer with Jadco of 30 years experience in drug testing in sport made his comments a week after the World Anti-Doping Agency visited Jamaica to investigate claims that the country’s athletes were not being tested rigorously enough.
“The results are not good,” he told the BBC.
“This year alone the results really point the finger”.
Former Jamaican Anti-Doping Commission executive director Renee Anne Shirley sparked the crisis when she said the agency conducted just one out-of-competition test in the six months leading up to the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Her criticisms, made in an article in Sports Illustrated, followed a series of adverse findings involving Jamaican track and field athletes.
“Remember, all of these results except one were caught by Jadco. The problem is these people were tested positive in competition. What that means is months before you know the date of the test and the approximate time of the test,” said Dr.Wright
“So if you fail an in-competition test you haven’t only failed a drugs test, you have failed an IQ test”.
Asafa Powell, the former 100m world record holder, was the biggest name to test positive, but four others including Powell’s training partner – the Olympic relay gold medallist Sherone Simpson – also failed tests at the country’s national trials in June.
Both Powell and Simpson claim that they took supplements that might have been contaminated with the banned stimulant Oxilofrine.
“This could be the tip of the iceberg to have so many positives coming in competition,” Dr.Wright said.
“What is going to convince me is if there is an out-of-competition test that’s unannounced, that includes blood testing and which tests for EPO. Then we can hold up our heads high and say we know there’s nothing.”
Wada officials are due to discuss their visit to Jamaica at an executive board meeting in Johannesburg on Tuesday and could make a series of recommendations to improve the country’s anti-doping policies.
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