The Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) highlighted the Jamaica Athletes' Insurance Plan (JAIP) at the 10th annual staging of its Symposium at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel, in Kingston on Thursday.

The event was held under the theme, “Protecting Brand Jamaica Through Clean Sport”.

Participants at the symposium, included members of sporting associations and federations, professional groups, principals, coaches, sport administrators and athletes.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Culture, Gender Entertainment and Sport, The Honorable Olivia Grange said, “As Minister with responsibility for Sport, I am pleased to share with the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission and all its stakeholders once again at its annual symposium. This year is particularly special, as JADCO is celebrating its 15th anniversary, that is 15 years of promoting clean sport and protecting clean athletes in Jamaica and I wish you all could put your hands together and applaud JADCO for the way it has operated and what it has achieved so far.”

She added, “Today it gives me great pleasure to announce that effective February 1, 2024, in addition, to the existing schedule of benefits, both under the group health and group life portfolio, athletes will now be able to access accidental medical reimbursement in the sum of $100,000.00 for injuries sustained on the field of play, or in a motor vehicle accident.”

The Jamaica Athletes’ Insurance Plan is the Government’s Group Health, Group Life and Personal Accident Plan for all eligible national athletes.

Athletes eligible to be covered under the Plan must be a member in good standing with a national association or federation.

They must be enrolled in the national development programme for a specific sporting discipline and they must participate in at least two Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission workshops per year.

Also speaking at the symposium, Chairperson of JADCO, Debby Ann Brown Salmon said, “I trust you will use the knowledge imparted to make informed decisions. I also implore you to continue working in harmony with the Commission in attaining the title of ‘Premier World Class Anti-Doping Organisation’.”

She added, “The onus is not only on JADCO, but also athletes and support personnel to protect the integrity of sport and the health and rights of our athletes. Let us be guided by the theme, ‘Protecting Brand Jamaica Through Clean Sport’ in 2024 and beyond.”

Lavana Shorter, Public Relations and Marketing Manager, Portmore United Football Club said, “Education is key, as it relates to drugs in sport and I would like to encourage everyone that is associated with sport, administrators and athletes to take part in events such as these, because it is important that we know the stipulations and guidelines, as it relates to the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission.”

Dawn-Marie Richards, President of the Nurses Association of Jamaica said, “We, as a body, need to know what is happening with our athletes and for our athletes. Jamaica does well in terms of athletics and we would want to know that we are meeting the recommended criteria locally and internationally. For me, being here today was an eye opener. It is my first symposium, but it will not be my last. I see a role, especially for my organisation, where we can assist with testing and so on.”

The 2024 JADCO Symposium also included presentations on the functions and responsibilities of JADCO and the doping control process. The event has been held annually since January 2015 to facilitate continuous dialogue with athlete support personnel.

Olympic bronze medalist Ronald Levy has revealed that he is the athlete that has returned an adverse analytical finding from a recent drug test, further confirming a report on Sportsmax.TV on Friday.

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.

Jamaica and West Indies opener John Campbell has been banned for four years by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCo) after failing to provide a blood sample to doping control officers in April 2022.

In an 18-page ruling, Campbell who was charged with evading, refusing or failing to submit to sample collection, a three-member independent panel, found that the player was intentional in his actions.

"The panel is persuaded to a comfortable degree of satisfaction that the athlete committed an anti-doping rule violation, namely a breach of JADCO rule 2.3. The panel does not find, on the evidence presented, that the athlete's anti-doping violation was not intentional.

"In the circumstances of this case, the athlete is ineligible for a period of four years."

The ban takes effect retroactively in May 2022.

The 29-year-old left-hand batsman has played 20 Tests for the West Indies since he debuted in January 2019 against England.

In those Tests, he scored 888 runs at an average of 26.11 and included three half-centuries. His last Test was against Bangladesh in June 2022.

The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association has laid the blame squarely at the feet of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission for World Athletics' decision not to ratify the World U20 Women 4x100m relay record set on April 17, 2022, during the 49^th staging of the Carifta Games at the National Stadium in Kingston.

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.