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.
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 newly retrofitted unit was officially handed over to the commission, by the Honourable Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport in a ceremony held at JADCO on Wednesday, September 30, 2020.
The mobile testing unit which is disabled-friendly consists of wheelchair ramps, support railings, restrooms for doping control, waiting areas to accommodate athletes and support personnel and storage areas.
The unit will allow the Commission to conduct more In-Competition and Out-of-Competition tests in remote locations and will increase the efficiency of the national anti-doping programme.
“This has been a dream for us and today our dream is a reality. I am going to be unveiling and launching this mobile unit that will be one of two such anti-doping mobile units that exists in the world, operated by a National Anti-Doping Organization,” said Minister Grange.
“So Jamaica has now introduced the unit and the only other National Anti-Doping Organization in the world that has a similar unit is the Japan Anti-Doping Agency, so we are very proud to be one of two.”
Chairman of JADCO, Alexander Williams said he was pleased to announce that the deployment of this mobile unit will expand the testing capacity of the commission. “It will also improve the service we provide and enable us to travel across the island to test Jamaican athletes in a secure environment that meets the required international standards,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jamaican sprinter hurdler Megan Tapper expressed her satisfaction that JADCO had now improved its capabilities as the country strives to support clean sport.
“I am super impressed with the JADCO bus,” said the 2019 World Championships finalist.
“I am happy that our government and our anti-doping agency are looking to the future and making us world leaders not only on the track but in anti-doping.”
JADCO was formally established in 2008 to execute the national anti-doping programme in accordance with the standards stipulated by the international governing body, the World Anti-Doping Agency. 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.
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.”
The 31-year-old Levy, the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist tested positive for banned substance, believed to be a fat burner, during a recent drug test and has requested that his “B” sample be tested.
In a post on social media, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist expressed surprise at the positive test, stating, “I am stunned at the turn of events because I have always conducted myself with the highest level of integrity in the sport, which I love dearly and would never seek to gain an unfair advantage.
“I intend to defend my integrity during this process because I am certain I did not knowingly breach the rules.”
The athlete who recently switched camps, departing from MVP Track Club to reunite with his high school coach at Elite Performance, indicated the test that yielded the positive result was done in early October.
“Early last month I was tested out of season. I expected to be negative on that test like I have on every test I have ever taken throughout my career. I was surprised to receive a letter on Tuesday (November 2, 2023) by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission of an adverse analytical finding. I have decided to take the option to have by ‘B’ sample tested, of which I await the results.”
Levy has had a run is misfortune over the past few years during which he has undergone multiple surgeries on his leg, which has significantly limited his ability to compete since he won the bronze medal in the 110m hurdles in Tokyo in 2021.
On that night, the quartet of Serena Cole, Tina Clayton, Brianna Lyston and Tia Clayton scorched the track in 42.58s eclipsing the time of 42.94 also set by Jamaica at the World U20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya in August 2021.
However, World Athletics rejected the time set in Kingston citing that not all four athletes were subjected to anti-doping control. JADCO, in a statement on Wednesday, said they only tested three athletes after the record was set because one of the athletes had been tested the day before after she had won her event. Hence, they took the decision not to test her again.
However, in a statement released later Wednesday, the JAAA, which had contracted JADCO for the three-day meet, made it clear that the Jamaican anti-doping agency did not adhere to their instructions.
“It is a fact that all four athletes were notified by the Jamaica Anti-doping Commission (JADCO) officials and presented themselves to the anti-doping station within the required time window to be tested. Unfortunately, JADCO took the decision, unknown to the JAAA and the NACAC’s Anti-Doping Delegate, not to test the athlete based on a JADCO standard. This was in direct contradiction to oral and written instructions by the JAAA,” the athletics governing body stated.
“It is to be noted that JADCO is the agency that performs anti-doping testing on our athletes both in and out of competition on behalf of the JAAA and was contracted to do so at the NACAC 2022 Carifta Games.”
The JAAA said it sent the performance along with the supporting documentation to World Athletics for ratification and it was only after they did so that it was pointed it that one of the athletes, Tina Clayton, who won the U20 Girls 100m, was not tested on the night of the relay world record.
