Jamaican judoka Ebony Drysdale-Daley is considering legal action against the Jamaica Judo Federation (JJA) after her one-year ban, which was imposed in June 2024, was overturned by the JJA Appeals Committee last week. The athlete, who became Jamaica’s first judoka to compete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021, expressed her relief at returning to the sport she loves but voiced disappointment over how the situation was handled by the federation.

 “I feel really relieved that I can come back to the sport I love. It’s been so depressing not being able to be a part of something that’s been a part of most of my life,” said Drysdale-Daley. “I feel hugely disappointed, the way I felt abandoned, it’s been very hurtful and I am now considering suing.”

 One of her legal representatives, Dr. Emir Crowne, lashed out at the JJA, describing their actions as shocking and unjustified. He criticized the federation for imposing the ban without granting Drysdale-Daley the opportunity to defend herself, stating that it was one of the most egregious cases he had encountered in his legal career.

 “It is absolutely shocking what the Jamaica Judo Federation has done to Ms. Drysdale-Daley, a promising Olympian,” Dr. Crowne said. “It banned her on the heels of an Olympic qualifying event, where she was ranked No.1 and would have received a bye to the finals, thereby earning enough points to qualify for the Olympics, irrespective of whether she placed first or second.”

 The suspension was initially imposed by JJA President Dwayne Barnett under the federation’s Vexatious Complaints and Unacceptable Behaviour Policy, citing a violation of the federation’s Code of Ethics. Drysdale-Daley was accused of actions that allegedly brought the JJA into disrepute. The suspension letter, issued on July 26, 2024, notified her of the one-year ban, which would last from June 13, 2024, to June 12, 2025.

 The JJA justified conducting the disciplinary hearing without Drysdale-Daley’s presence, claiming it was in line with the policy. However, the Appeals Committee found significant procedural errors, including the failure to notify Drysdale-Daley of informal resolutions or grant her the opportunity to respond to the accusations.

 In his statement, Dr. Crowne further criticized the JJA’s handling of the case. “To ban her in those circumstances, and completely deprive her of any right to be heard or any due process at all, is absolutely indefensible. The initial ban—of indefinite duration—was apparently initiated by the President, Mr. Dwayne Barnett, and then replaced with a one-year ban by the Executive Committee (of which Mr. Barnett was a member). Even the appeal itself, Mr. Barnett appeared for the Jamaica Judo Federation in defense of the Executive Committee’s decision. It was akin to a High Court judge appearing before the Court of Appeal defending his decision. Most unusual.”

 The Appeals Committee, after reviewing the case, found that the JJA had not adhered to its own policies or Statutes. The Committee ruled that the Vexatious Complaints and Unacceptable Behaviour Policy was invoked prematurely, without exhausting reasonable measures to resolve the issue through informal dialogue, as required. Additionally, the Committee found no evidence that Drysdale-Daley was formally invited to appear before the Executive Committee, further invalidating the decision to suspend her.

 As a result, the Appeals Committee overturned the suspension and reinstated Drysdale-Daley’s membership with immediate effect, highlighting that the federation’s actions violated its governance structures.

 “At the end of the day, the Appeals Committee ‘saw through’ the glaring transparency breaches committed by the Jamaica Judo Federation and ordered that her membership be reinstated with immediate effect,” Dr. Crowne added. “To say that this is one of the most egregious cases I’ve seen in my career would be an understatement. It is but another example of a federation acting with absolute impunity. ‘Wrong and strong’ till the end.”

 With her membership restored, Drysdale-Daley can now return to competitive judo. However, her legal team is now exploring the possibility of suing the JJA for damages caused by the suspension, which came at a critical time as she aimed to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

 As the dust settles on her successful appeal, the legal battle between Drysdale-Daley and the JJA may be far from over.

The suspension of Jamaican judoka Ebony Drysdale-Daley by the Jamaica Judo Federation (JJA) has been overturned following a hearing by the Appeals Committee last week. The committee ruled that the federation failed to follow proper procedures in enforcing its Vexatious Complaints and Unacceptable Behaviour Policy, resulting in an invalid disciplinary process.

The Appeals Committee, chaired by Rashid Hall and Lyle-Anthony Golding, convened on October 14, 2024, to hear the appeal submitted by Drysdale-Daley, who had been handed a one-year suspension by the JJA for allegedly violating its Code of Ethics. The suspension, which was originally set for the period June 13, 2024 to June 12, 2025, had been imposed by the JJA’s Executive Committee, which included President Dwayne Barnett, Vice-President Marvin Anthony Rickards, and Treasurer Fernando Gonzalves.

During the hearing, Drysdale-Daley was represented by Dr. Emir Crowne, Matthew Gayle, Jason Jones, and Sayeed Bernard, while Dwayne Barnett represented the JJA.

The case centered around the JJA’s use of its Vexatious Complaints and Unacceptable Behaviour Policy to justify Drysdale-Daley’s suspension and the decision to conduct a disciplinary hearing without her being present. However, the Appeals Committee found significant procedural flaws in the federation’s handling of the case.

Drysdale-Daley, who became Jamaica’s first judoka to compete at an Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020, claimed the JJA initially registered her for an event in Lima, Peru, but later removed her, depriving her of the opportunity to challenge Ashley McKenzie for the sole available judo spot for Jamaica. McKenzie had secured a silver medal at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games last year.

“They have removed me from the competition registry. I feel the Jamaican Judo Association has favoured the other athlete in contention over me. They have effectively secured the other athlete’s qualification ahead of mine by blocking me from this final tournament, of which I have paid flights for,” Drysdale-Daley said.

The Dwayne Barnett-led JJA, in a statement, firmly denied these accusations, asserting that the federation’s decisions were based on adherence to deadlines and procedures, including missed Anti-Doping tests, which Drysdale-Daley reportedly failed to attend.

“The JJA categorically refutes any claims of impropriety or personal interests influencing the selection process. The General Secretary and other mentioned individuals have no personal or vested interests that would compromise the integrity of these processes,” the statement read.

She was subsequently suspended.

One of the key issues identified was the failure to exhaust all reasonable measures before invoking the policy, as outlined in Point 1.4 of the policy, which mandates that it should be used "only as a last resort." The Appeals Committee determined that there were no attempts by the JJA to resolve the matter through informal channels or standard procedures before resorting to disciplinary action.

Additionally, the Appeals Committee found that Drysdale-Daley was not properly notified or given an opportunity to address the situation before sanctions were applied, violating Point 4.2 of the policy. This failure to follow due process rendered the JJA’s decision invalid.

Further scrutiny of the JJA’s Statutes also revealed that Drysdale-Daley had not been formally invited to appear before the Executive Committee to address the accusations against her, as required by Article 17. This failure to follow the association’s own statutes constituted another breach, further invalidating the suspension.

In its ruling, the Appeals Committee concluded that the Jamaica Judo Federation had not adhered to the correct procedures in both invoking the Vexatious Complaints and Unacceptable Behaviour Policy and enforcing its Statutes. Consequently, the committee overturned the suspension and ordered Drysdale-Daley's immediate reinstatement as a member of the federation.