KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Jamaica Association of Professionals in Nutrition and Dietetics (JAPINAD) says it is concerned about the announcement by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) that athletes will not be tested at next week’s ISSA Boys’ and Girls’ Athletic Championships at the National Stadium.

In an open letter to Executive Director of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO), Carey Brown, president of JAPINAD, a professional body representing practitioners in the field of dietetics and nutrition, Kirk Bolton, said the association was registering its concern about an announcement by JADCO (on Wednesday, March 11, 2015) that athletes will not be tested at this year’s championships.

“It is approximately one year since the JADCO’s leadership advised the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) of their commitment that everything would be in place to facilitate the testing of junior athletes competing at the annual Boys’ and Girls’ Athletic Championship, more commonly known as ‘Champs’,” Bolton wrote.

JAPINAD said that, while it commended the incorporation of nutrition as an important feature of the workshops conducted by the JADCO for junior and senior athletes last year, it believes that fostering a dope-free environment in Jamaica should include testing of these athletes using the established sampling measures and techniques.

“JAPINAD recognises the importance of optimally preparing athletes for competition and believes that failure by the JADCO to fulfil its mission, in providing an objective means by which to assess whether any athlete is utilising prohibitive substances, would be detrimental to the integrity of Jamaican athletics,” the letter said.

The championships will be held at the stadium from March 24-28.

Balford Henry