Sport
Tuesday, July 16, 2013MINISTER with Responsibility for Sport Natalie Neita-Headley hailed the work of the local Anti-Doping Agency and re-emphasised a commitment to ensure a drug-free sporting environment in Jamaica.The Minister’s statement yesterday comes on the back of the recent revelations that sprint stars Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson both returned adverse analytical findings on their ‘A’ samples which were taken at the National Junior and Senior Trials last month.The country’s most decorated female athlete, Veronica Campbell Brown, also tested positive for a banned substance recently.“Jamaica through its Anti-Doping Agency (JADCo), has consistently had a rigorous programme for in and out of competition testing while providing public education for all who participate or wish to participate in sport, including at the high school level. The rigour of this programme is not new and it is clearly effective as it is from our own testing protocol that the adverse findings in these A-samples have been revealed,” the statement said.Neita-Headley continued: “As a Government we have had to adhere to the rules governing the notification of the athletes whose A-samples have returned adverse analytical findings following testing at the National Junior and Senior Championships in June.“We stand by all our athletes and value the significant contributions they make toward engendering national pride. However, as a country we reiterate the importance of integrity in sport, fairplay, and the maintenance of a dope-free sporting environment,” the release concluded.
View the original article here
Neita-Headley hails JADCo
