JAAA fights for Clunis’ Olympic dream after CAS ruling

The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) announced on Monday that it is “making every effort” to ensure national hammer thrower Nayoka Clunis can participate in the upcoming Paris Olympics.

This follows a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) Ad Hoc Division to reject Clunis’ application for a hearing against the JAAA due to an administrative error that left her off the list of Olympic qualifiers.

Clunis’ attorneys Dr Emir Crowne and Sayeed Bernard had filed an appeal to the CAS Ad Hoc Division last Friday because the disgruntled athlete had received no response from the local governing body.

Among the top 32 athletes

The hammer thrower had placed among the top 32 athletes, thus earning a place at the Olympics, but the administrative gaffe left World Athletics with no choice but to fill her slot with another athlete.

The CAS, based in Switzerland, ruled that it had no jurisdiction to hear Clunis’ case, as the dispute fell outside the 10-day window for Olympic-related disputes. This decision, announced at noon local time (5 am Jamaica time), means Clunis has not been included in Jamaica’s athletics team for the Paris Olympic Games this summer.

Clunis was seeking to secure her spot on the Olympic team through an appeal to CAS, following her removal due to an admitted administrative error by the JAAA. The JAAA explained that the passing of Hurricane Beryl earlier in the month resulted in power and internet outages, preventing them from updating their list with Clunis’ name for submission to World Athletics, the international governing body.

In response to the CAS ruling, the JAAA stated: “We note the decision of the ad hoc panel of CAS that they do not have jurisdiction to hear the matter as the dispute arose outside the 10 days window for disputes relating to the Olympic Games.”

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Continued support for Clunis’ Olympic participation

The JAAA emphasized its continued support for Clunis’ Olympic participation, stating, “At all times we have been supportive of the athlete’s participation at the Olympic Games and in fact had petitioned World Athletics to include her in the list of participating athletes even if it meant increasing the number of participants to 33. World Athletics did not alter their position of 32 participants but maintained that if any vacancy arises it would be allocated to her.”

The JAAA also highlighted that the CAS acknowledged the JAAA’s inability to provide the relief Clunis sought, indicating that only World Athletics and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) could offer such relief. “Again, we are deeply saddened that this situation continues and are making every effort in the hope that World Athletics and the IOC will find a way to enable Ms. Clunis to compete in the Olympics,” the JAAA concluded.

As the situation unfolds, the JAAA remains committed to advocating for Clunis’ opportunity to compete on the Olympic stage, reflecting their dedication to supporting Jamaican athletes in their pursuit of excellence.