Our schoolboys and girls must be tested — Dr Wright

Sport

Sunday, July 21, 2013

WELL-KNOWN sports medical doctor Dr Paul Wright is strongly advocating that schoolboys and girls, especially those participating in the annual Boys’ and Girls’ Championships, be subjected to obligatory drug testing.Dr Wright was responding to an editorial in the Jamaica Observer last week which opined that the authorities might now be forced to do drug testing of schoolboys and girls following the recent positive analytical findings involving two of the country’s top athletes, Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson, as well and three of Jamaica’s promising junior athletes including Travis Smikle.“I have been advocating this position that our schoolboys and girls must be tested. They must be taught, in the early part of their careers, what drug testing is all about, what are the protocols and the way to proceed when confronted by these critical and testing issues,” Dr Wright said.The sports medicine specialist said, however, his pleas for drug testing of school-attending athletes have fallen on deaf ears thus far.“Despite trumpeting this move with others for a long time, over 15 years, the persons in authority have paid scant attention. I remember being told by an official from the schools’ governing body for sports, that they have enough problems, with birth certificates and such the like, to even think about drug testing at Champs or any of their endorsed meets, including at Manning and daCosta Cup matches,” Dr Wright said.Dr Wright says the school authorities have to act now in order to preserve the integrity of the country’s junior athletic programme, which has over the years produced so many world champions and earned for itself worldwide recognition. He also made mention of one of the major difficulties which might occur when testing schoolboys and schoolgirls.“Parental consent is required for drug testing to be done on minors, and most of the athletes running at Champs are minors, that is, under the age of 17. Parents or guardians have to nominate the persons they want as observers when the samples, either blood or urine, are being given. I am sure, however, that a protocol can be worked out by simply adding a section on the entry forms for parents or guardians to sign and to indicate who they want to be observers. If this is not done, the athlete should not be permitted to compete,” Dr Wright said.

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Our schoolboys and girls must be tested — Dr Wright