It was definitely the worst of times. In a few weeks, from June to July 2013, It was reported that Jamaican star sprinters Veronica Campbell-Brown, Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson had returned positive tests for banned substances. The resulting hubbub shook Jamaica’s credibility in athletics to the core. In the middle of the maelstrom, Prime Ministers Portia Simpson Miller acted to demonstrate that Jamaica was clean and proposed the testing of high school athletes.
Now, with the world Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), moving to increase the punishment for first time offenders from a maximum of two years to four, the mechanics of testing student-athletes are still to be known. Previously, this was thought to be taboo, as it seemed too draconian for the little youngsters.
In fact, our young track and field athletes are tested when they compete at international meets. These include the Carifta Games, the World and Pan-Am Junior Championships and the World Youth Championships. Especially since the nation’s under 20 athletes have passed that test with flying colours, this was generally thought to be sufficient. According to Carey Brow, Executive Director of the JADCO, the local WADA affiliate, speking to Parliament in February, the agency expects to do testing at Boys and Girls Championships in 2015; the biggest high school athletics meet in the world.
Hard core fans reckon that logistics for this effort will be hard to create, since Champs has seven different age categories and two open categories, for which athletes can compete in up to four different events. Ofton too, events overlap.
For example, the 200 metres begins for all age categories or classes at Champs before the 100m finished.
To continue reading , purchase Vol. 7 #8 2015 issue
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It was definitely the worst of times. In a few weeks, from June to July 2013, It was reported that Jamaican star sprinters Veronica Campbell-Brown, Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson had returned positive tests for banned substances. The resulting hubbub shook Jamaica’s credibility in athletics to the core. In the middle of the maelstrom, Prime Ministers Portia Simpson Miller acted to demonstrate that Jamaica was clean and proposed the testing of high school athletes.
Now, with the world Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), moving to increase the punishment for first time offenders from a maximum of two years to four, the mechanics of testing student-athletes are still to be known. Previously, this was thought to be taboo, as it seemed too draconian for the little youngsters.
In fact, our young track and field athletes are tested when they compete at international meets. These include the Carifta Games, the World and Pan-Am Junior Championships and the World Youth Championships. Especially since the nation’s under 20 athletes have passed that test with flying colours, this was generally thought to be sufficient. According to Carey Brow, Executive Director of the JADCO, the local WADA affiliate, speking to Parliament in February, the agency expects to do testing at Boys and Girls Championships in 2015; the biggest high school athletics meet in the world.
Hard core fans reckon that logistics for this effort will be hard to create, since Champs has seven different age categories and two open categories, for which athletes can compete in up to four different events. Ofton too, events overlap.
For example, the 200 metres begins for all age categories or classes at Champs before the 100m finished.
To continue reading , purchase Vol. 7 #8 2015 issue
Share this post: