WADA sets up unit to investigate "serious" doping matters

MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) yesterday set up an independent investigation into the “serious” allegations of widespread doping in Russian athletics.

The commission will be led by Richard Pound, a former head of the agency and a leading and longstanding member of the International Olympic Committee, said a WADA statement.

WADA has acted following a series of German television documentaries which said Russian athletes were systematically given banned substances at international competitions.

Russian officials have strongly denied the accusations.

The commission will seek to establish “if there have been any breaches of World Anti-Doping Code or International Standard processes or rules” including by WADA-accredited laboratories, athletes, coaches, trainers and doctors, said the statement.

It will “explore whether sufficient evidence exists that could lead to sanctions against any individual or organisation under rules of the World Anti-Doping Code”.

Richard McLaren, a leading expert on international sports law and a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), will also sit on the commission.

WADA president Craig Reedie said the commission would analyse the documentaries and information received “separately” by the agency.

“If it is found that there have been violations or breaches of the rules, WADA will ensure that any individuals or organisations concerned are dealt with in an appropriate fashion under the World Anti-Doping Code,” said Reedie.

“The commission will be given the resources it needs in order for the investigation to be carried out thoroughly,” he added.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) welcomed the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announcement.

The IAAF ethics commission is also looking into the allegations.

“The IAAF takes this opportunity to reiterate its full support of the WADA investigation,” said IAAF president Lamine Diack.

“Our primary concern must always be to protect the integrity of competition in support of the vast majority of clean athletes, and we look forward to working with WADA to this end.”

An IAAF statement said the ethics commission will also “ensure all matters of concern are thoroughly and rigorously examined”.

The treasurer of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Valentin Balakhnichev, and Diack’s son have stepped down from their positions while the corruption and doping allegations are investigated.

Balakhnichev is also the president of the Russian Athletics Federation, while Diack’s son Papa Massata Diack has been working for the IAAF as a marketing consultant.

Diack has stepped down after allegations of possible corruption linked to the attribution of the 2017 world athletics championships, which was handed to London ahead of Qatar.

Both Balaknichev and 50-year-old Diack deny the respective allegations.

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WADA sets up unit to investigate "serious" doping matters

Gov"t admits Goat Islands under "serious consideration" for trans-shipment hub

BY JULIAN RICHARDSON Assistant Business Co-ordinator richardsonj@jamaicaobserver.com

BEIJING, China — Government may face a tough battle against environmentalists and time as it explores the possibility of constructing a trans-shipment hub at Goat Islands, located off the south coast of St Catherine.Minister of Land, Water, Environment and Climate Change Robert Pickersgill revealed that the site was “now under very serious consideration” to facilitate the much talked about project, as he and a team of officials, including Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, met with representatives of China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) during a lunch meeting at the state-owned firm’s headquarters in Beijing yesterday. Simpson Miller and her team is on a five-day visit to the Asian country.The development comes four months after CHEC — which last year signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Port Authority to explore the feasibility of establishing a new trans-shipment port at Fort Augusta — rejected that location as it was not big enough to provide the space they needed.CHEC wants some 3,000 acres of land to build the port. It had showed interest in Goat Islands before, but looked elsewhere when met with environment restrictions. Lobby groups have argued that the Goat Islands are important for biodiversity, with a vision of the area being developed into a reserve for iguanas and other threatened species.“They (China Harbour) looked at the Goat Islands area and are attracted to it, but truth be told there are some environmental prohibition as we speak,” Pickersgill told journalists.In fact, environmental groups this week — apparently getting wind of Government’s intentions — came out forcefully against the move.According to the Jamaica Environment Trust and the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation — which manages the Portland Bight Protected Area — a large-scale port development will have devastating impacts on the coastal environment adjacent to and including the Goat Islands.“These impacts include destruction of mangroves, seagrass beds, coral reefs, opening up access to currently inaccessible areas on land leading to further degradation of the ancient dry limestone forest of the Hellshire Hills,” they said in a joint press release, reiterating that any port development and associated infrastructure would have a major adverse impact on the ecology of the Portland Bight Protected Area.But at yesterday’s meeting, CHEC assured Simpson Miller that it is committed to environmental protection and social responsibility as it looks to expand its footprint in Jamaica.“Jamaica is a major target market for CHEC and we hope Jamaica can provide us with a platform to continue and expand our collaboration to larger levels,” said Liu Quitaio, president of CHEC parent company China Communications Construction.CHEC is behind numerous infrastructure works in Jamaica, including the recently concluded Palisadoes Shoreline Protection Project and the North South link of Highway 2000.Simpson Miller highlighted that any future collaboration would be a “win-win” situation for both Jamaica and CHEC.“There are investment opportunities in Jamaica at this time and I hope you will give favourable consideration to other investments in Jamaica,” she told Liu.Simpson Miller has said previously that the final location for the logistics hub project will be a direct investment of CHEC and its parent company.The preliminary estimates of the mega investment are between US$1.2 billion and US$1.5 billion.Meanwhile, Pickersgill told journalists that time is of essence.“There are competing interests and they are not waiting on us,” Pickersgill said, reiterating that the Government is aiming for the hub to become operational in 2015 to coincide with the reopening of the Panama Canal.“I expect that the environmentalists will be defending what now exists and the development ministry and the Government will have to say to the country what it is we will be foregoing and why, because the employment opportunities are very much there,” he added.Meanwhile, Dr Carlton Davis, special envoy and chief advisor, noted that “there is no perfect universe, it is how you can balance and use engineering to correct things”.“At the end of the day, if a project promises to employ 10,000 people, not to mention on an economic value added, you can’t just simply lose it,” he added.According to the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, the logistics hub is a multi-dimensional project that will include “clusters of global businesses operating from special economic zones, technology parks, logistics parks and industrial parks”.Satellite imagery showing the location of the two cays called Goat Islands.

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Gov"t admits Goat Islands under "serious consideration" for trans-shipment hub

JLP serious about suspending relations with Caricom — Holness

OPPOSITION Leader Andrew Holness says that the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) believes that Jamaica should consider suspending its relationship with the Caribbean Community (Caricom) until it sorts out current issues with the regional body.

“There could be a suspension until we get our house in order, so that we can participate on equal footing with everyone,” Holness told the Jamaica Observer at this week’s Monday Exchange.The Opposition leader, who was echoing the point made by his party’s spokesman on foreign affairs and foreign trade, Dr Christopher Tufton at a Kingston Lion’s Club meeting last week, said that it was an indication of the party’s consistency on the position.“We do not believe that Jamaica’s interests are necessarily being fully served by Caricom, and that’s not a statement from which we hide: We have made that statement before,” Holness said defiantly, as he spoke to the editors and reporters on his party’s 70th anniversary at the Observer’s Beechwood Avenue office in Kingston.“We believe that a weak Jamaica does not make a strong Caricom; so, for Caricom to be strong, Jamaica has to be strong, and if it is that Jamaica is not being served by the relationship, then we need to examine it,” Holness said.Senior spokesmen for the JLP have been promoting the idea of Jamaica temporarily pulling out of Caricom to rethink its relationship with the regional body, for several months now. The call was first made by the party’s spokesman on industry, commerce and energy, Gregory Mair; then its spokesman on transport and works, Karl Samuda; and more recently by Dr Tufton, who said that Jamaica’s best bet in dealing with Caricom trading issues would be a temporary withdrawal.“This period would also be sufficient for a comprehensive examination to be done, to determine if Jamaica should leave Caricom in its current form and, instead, seek functional collaboration on matters of strategic, regional and international importance,” Dr Tufton said.But, Holness went further on Monday, identifying the Common External Tariff (CET) as one of the land mines on the path to a more co-operative attitude towards the regional body.He said that the rush in the 1990s to create the tariff has not necessarily benefited Jamaica.“We have not been opposed to the creation of a common market, but we want to see a situation in which Jamaica benefits, and I have said that we are a Jamaica first party: Jamaica’s interests first, and that needs to be looked at,” the Opposition leader argued.Holness also suggested that a widened area of trade co-operation, including closer ties with Latin American countries like Colombia and Venezuela, was envisaged by his party.He noted that Jamaica already has strong economic links with Venezuela, primarily through the PetroCaribe oil agreement, while pointing out that Jamaica could benefit immensely from improving its trade with Colombia, as well as Panama.“We share an economic zone which can be mutually exploited, and Colombia is transforming itself in an amazing way. I think we need to strengthen these relationships,” he said, noting that Jamaica also has significant heritage ties with its Latin neighbours, including Colombia, Panama and Cuba.He said that the US embargo against Cuba cannot remain in perpetuity, and once the Cuba economy is released from those shackles there will significant investment shifts in the region.“We don’t want to appear anti-Caricom, but for Jamaica to advance, we have to look elsewhere. We have to be prepared not to become a consequence of this investment shift, but to be a beneficiary,” Holness said.HOLNESS… we believe that a weak Jamaica does not make a strong Caricom (PHOTO: NAPHTALI JUNIOR)

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JLP serious about suspending relations with Caricom — Holness