Just wait!
JAMAICA Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) president Dr Warren Blake pleaded for an end to speculation after reports surfaced on Thursday that a Jamaican competitor’s ‘A’ sample returned an adverse analytical finding from tests done at the Jamaica International Invitational World Challenge meet held inside the National Stadium on May 4.
The JAAA boss, while refusing to confirm or deny the reports, insisted that the media has a “responsibility to protect that which we all cherish”.
“I cannot and I will not give any statements to the matter to any member of the media until the time stipulated in the results management procedure. I cannot and I will not confirm whether or not such a result has, in fact, been obtained.
“I ask you to just desist until the results management procedure states that a statement can be made to the media and if and when that happens, a statement will be made.
“I should also point out to the media that speculation like this does not do the sport of track and field any good, even whilst I recognise the right of the media to bring the news to the public… they must also remember their responsibility to protect that which we all cherish,” he declared during his speech at yesterday’s signing of 110-metre hurdles Olympic bronze medallist Hansle Parchment as a GraceKennedy brand ambassador.
The yet to be identified athlete, who is reported to have international credentials, is said to have been notified of the ‘A’ sample result and has seven days to request for a test on the ‘B’ sample.
It is understood that World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) guidelines stipulates strict confidentiality in such matters, and only after the ‘B’ sample is tested or the option waived, is the athlete’s name revealed.
Added Blake: “The athlete’s identity has to be respected and the right to privacy has to be respected. Speculation like this only serves to harm all our athletes as without any hard evidence, speculation is passed on every single athlete and now that the media has narrowed it down to a female athlete, every female athlete who has gone to the Olympics has been suspected.”
Blake affirmed that the JAAA and the Jamaica Anti-doping Commission (JADCo) have been active in the fight against doping.
“…We in Jamaica try our best to stamp out that scourge.
“We were among the first to sign the WADA protocol and we have set up our own Anti-doping Agency,” he said.