By Balford Henry Senior staff reporter Jamaica Observer

THE Jamaica Ant-Doping Commission (JADCO), which has been recently under fire for a number of doping violations, will need a huge increase in its budgetary allocation for 2013/14 if it is to meet its commitments for the rest of the year.

This has been disclosed in its report to Parliament’s Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) for the period April 1 to October 31, 2013.

The report, which was presented to the committee last Wednesday, revealed that JADCO’s budget for 2013/14 fiscal year is $63.4 million, which represented a 14 per cent increase over the previous year’s allocation of $55.8 million. The commission has only received a warrant allocation of $37.4 million, or just over half of the full budget, up to October 31 leaving a balance of $35.1 million.

However salaries, travelling expenses, and subsistence are set to absorb just over $27 million of the total, while rent, machinery, equipment, public utilities bills and capital goods will cost another $7 million — leaving only $29 million for the purchase of other goods and services and the implementation of the commission’s important doping programme.

The end result is that JADCO will end up with only $16.7 million to implement the programme, and $4.8 million for communication and education programmes, or about US$200,000 to deal with current doping challenges and criticisms from the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) and other sources.

In addition, JADCO explained that “due to the unprecedented number of Adverse Analytical Findings, the commission is expecting a significant increase in legal fees”, which will also impact the figures.

“There are also outstanding lab fees for tests conducted during September and October, 2013, for which JADCO has not (yet) been invoiced, as at October 31, 2013,” the commission reported.

The report also confirmed that based on JADCO’s rigorous testing programme, the commission has detected six Adverse Analytical Findings since 2013, which are now before its disciplinary panel.

The commission said it would train at least four more doping control officers, as well as blood collection officers before the end of the year; begin blood sample collection, testing and establishing a pool for Athlete’s Biological Passport; establish guidelines for conducting tests for junior athletes; and conduct an initial review of the WADA Code in January.

JADCO was established under the Anti-Doping in Sport Act in 2008, as part of Jamaica’s commitment to fight doping in sports, and its adoption of the World Anti-Doping Programme and the World Anti-Doping Code in November, 2003.

For more on this story go to:

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/JADCO-starved-for-funds_15561265

See also all these related iNews Cayman stories:

November 25 2013 “Beleaguered Jamaican Anti-Doping Commission hit by resignations” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/beleaguered-jamaican-anti-doping-commission-hit-by-resignations/

December 1 2013 “Athletics chief defends Jamaican athletes” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/athletics-chief-defends-jamaican-athletes/

July 14 2013 “Tyson Gay (USA) and FIVE Jamaican athletes fail drug tests” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/tyson-gay-usa-and-asafa-powell-jamaica-fail-drug-tests/