TWO of the country’s leading athletics officials have weighed in on the debate over whether or not athletes should be drug tested at the Boys & Girls Athletic Championships.

North America, Central America and Caribbean president and International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Area Representative, Neville ‘Teddy’ McCook, told the Observer if athletes are serious about competing at the world level where they will definitely be tested, then they should be prepared to be tested at the annual Champs.

“They have to be tested at the world level, at World Junior Championships and World Youth Championships, and if you are going to participate at that level, then I see no reason why they can’t be tested,” said McCook, who is also a former president of the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA).

Meanwhile, World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Commission Member Dr Herb Elliott is concerned about the legal ramifications of testing athletes who are under 18 and though while they are overseas they are under the legal care of team managers which makes it easier, he sees a problem testing athletes at the Champs level if they are under the age of consent.

“We would have to get all those parents to agree to the testing legally,” he said.

“I have no problem if tomorrow we can work out a legal framework for testing them (but), testing young athletes who are under age without permission is a no-no go,” he stated.

Dr Elliott’s feeling is quite the opposite of another member of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO), Dr Paul Wright.

In a recent Observer Monday Exchange of editors and reports, Dr Wright argued that it was important, given the scrutiny under which Jamaica has been placed because of its outstanding performances in international track and field.

That’s in spite of the cost involved in testing, as listed by Dr Elliott as being between US$250 and US$350 each, plus the cost of the kit and then sending them overseas to an accredited laboratory for testing.

All drug tests carried out by local authorities are currently sent to the WADA-accredited lab in Montreal, Canada.

Dr Elliott hastened to point out that tests have been done on junior athletes competing at national trials.

“We have done it in the past,” he noted.

However, he believes educating athletes and coaches about what they are putting into their bodies is much more important.

“Education should be more widespread. We should be sensitising our youngsters,” he said. “We advise coaches not to give them (athletes) over-the-counter supplements,” he added.

Dr Elliott is also an advocate of banning smoking in public places as this can leave athletes vulnerable to exposure and he criticised the local press for not publicising enough of this fight.

“I have advocated for banning smoking in all sporting arenas, that way I would get the ganja smokers… I don’t get any help from the journalists,” he said.

Three years ago national shot-put record holder Dorian Scott was stripped of the gold medal won at the 2006 Central America and Caribbean (CAC) Games and given a public warning by the world governing body, the IAAF, after testing positive for cannabis (marijuana), which it was said got into his system second-hand after spending time around friends who were smoking the substance.

In the meantime, McCook made a case for transparency to protect the country’s image among international observers.

“We do attract the attention of comments, so in order to protect yourself, then you should prepare to be tested,” he said.