Satisfied that the JADCo now has the requisite resources to protect both athletes and staff in the commission of its duty, chairman of the organization Alexander Williams, believes the time is right, having announced an indefinite suspension of testing operations in April.
According to Williams the JADCo had to take the time off from normal operations to assess the risks of continuing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, without having to impact its resources.
Now, the chairman says, all safety protocols can be followed because all the equipment to do so is already in house.
The chairman was speaking at the official opening of the JADCo’s new headquarters last Thursday.
The JADCo now occupies a premises at 1 Ballater Avenue in Jamaica’s parish of St Andrew.
The record of 42.58 set by Serena Cole, Brianna Lyston, Tia and Tina Clayton while winning gold on April 17, 2022, will not be ratified, World Athletics said, because ‘not all team members were subjected to doping control’ at the completion of the race.
The Executive Director of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) did not respond to calls from Sportsmax.TV. JADCO was responsible for anti-doping controls during the championships/
Chairman of the JADCO Board Alexander Williams was unable to comment on the matter when he spoke with Sportsmax.TV Wednesday morning. However, he promised to respond to questions once he received the relevant information pertaining to the matter.
Calls to Garth Gayle, President of the Jamaica Athletic Administrative Association (JAAA) went unanswered.
Despite the setback, Jamaica still holds the U20 world record. At the World U20 Championships in Kenya in August 2021, Serena Cole, Tina and Tia Clayton as well as Kerrica Hill established a time of 42.94, which was the time surpassed at the National Stadium in Kingston last month.
Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo’s U20 record of 9.96 set in Gaborone on April 22, was also not ratified because no zero gun test was performed for the timing equipment.”
Guy’s Hill High School received 25 Samsung tablets by virtue of having the most participants online during an annual Junior Athletes Anti-Doping Education Workshop for their region. The workshops were held via Zoom for four regions across the island during the month of November.
The series of workshops last year were held virtually for the first time due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Region One where Guys Hill is located also includes secondary schools from Kingston and St. Andrew, St. Thomas and St. Catherine.
“The donation of Samsung tablets is part of a broader initiative that JADCO is now executing in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information as part of the public education and awareness thrust of the Commission; and so JADCO will be introducing antidoping as part of the primary school curriculum. Today it starts with two primary schools, Eltham Park Primary and Ensom City Primary,” said Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Entertainment, Gender and Sports.
Chairman of JADCO, Alexander Williams said the Commission preloaded anti-doping information to the devices because “we believe that if athletes are armed with the requisite information pertaining to anti-doping from the primary and secondary school levels they will be well equipped to make informed decisions when they become senior and professional athletes.”
Meantime, Principal of Guy’s Hill High School, Joan Davis said her school was grateful for the tablets that will help mitigate the challenge of educating children during the ongoing pandemic.
“We have many students at our school without a device and to get 25 Samsung tablets will help us to bridge the gap that exists, so we are very grateful,” she said.
Her sentiments were echoed by Shayanique Neil, a student-athlete at Guys Hill.
“This event was inspiring, to see JADCO giving and helping others in this pandemic, which is a challenging time for students all over Jamaica, especially the ones who are in need of the devices to access online school. I would like to show gratitude and appreciation from my school to JADCO, we are grateful,” she said.
Another chief beneficiary was Ensom City Primary and Eltham Park Primary Schools that received 35 Samsung devices each.
“This gesture is really overwhelming for me because I recognize that I have some students who we have not been connecting with, so I am happy that at least 35 of them will now be able to connect and be in the mainstream of things, so thanks again JADCO,” said Acting Principal of Ensom City Primary School, Karlene Collins-Dawkins.
The principal of Eltham Park Primary School, Conroy Griffiths said her school getting these tablets would benefit her school tremendously. “We will have 35 less students that are not being engaged meaningfully and this will go a far way in helping us,” he said.
In the upcoming weeks, 75 Samsung tablets will be presented to schools from the remaining regions, which includes region two, with schools from Clarendon, Manchester and St. Elizabeth, region three with schools from Westmoreland, Hanover, St. James and sections of Trelawny and region four, which includes schools from St. Ann, St. Mary, Portland and sections of Trelawny.
More than 300 junior athletes and their support personnel attended the virtual series of the 2020 Junior Athletes Anti-Doping Education Workshops. JADCO hosted the inaugural Junior Athletes Anti-Doping Education Workshop for athletes and athlete support personnel at the Jamaica Conference Centre (JCC) on Wednesday, February 12, 2014.
The workshops have been held annually since 2014.
The 6,299 square feet facility boasts a disabled-friendly environment, additional office space to facilitate expansion and larger conference rooms.
JADCO was formally established in 2008 to execute the national anti-doping programme in accordance with the standards stipulated by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
JADCO’s mission is to foster a dope free environment in Jamaica that promotes the ethics and spirit of sport through education, testing, advocacy and coordination of an effective anti-doping programme in Jamaica.
Chairman of JADCO, Alexander Williams the new and improved facility will enable JADCO to continue to build capacity and strengthen operations, as it strives to provide world-class service to all stakeholders.
“The Commission was very fortunate to find this location within close proximity to the Half-Way Tree metropolitan area. This will significantly reduce the impact that the relocation will have on our stakeholders,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports Olivia Grange said she was delighted that the commission had found a new home.
“Today is a dream come true and JADCO has worked very hard to the point that this is now a historic event in the sporting nation of Jamaica. This is not just the opening of a new facility, this demonstrates that the government walks the talk because we have ensured you now have the ideal space to function,” she said.
Paralympian, Alphanso Cunningham was delighted to note that the new facility is a lot more friendly to athletes with disabilities.
“The new facility is very convenient, in terms of wheelchair accessibility, it is state-of-the-art and the sport mural with someone physically challenged makes me excited and warms my heart,” he said.
Dr. Warren Blake, President of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) echoed Cunningham’s sentiments in his remarks.
“One of the things for persons living with disabilities is that they should have access to all public buildings,” he said.
“It is really good to see that the para-athletes have been thought about. The location is more convenient and you can approach it from several directions. The new facility is very modern and I hope that JADCO continues to do excellent work.”
