Mea Culpa! JADCO admits fault in World Athletics refusal to ratify Jamaica’s U20 4x100m World Record
Key Points(5)
- They completed the race with a world record 42.58.
- Doping Control was conducted immediately on three of the female athletes.</p> <p style="font-weight: 400;">“Since one of the athletes was already tested on the 16<sup>th</sup> of April 2022, a urine same was not collected from this athlete on the 17<sup>th</sup> of April 2022.
- This performance along with the supporting documentation has been sent to World Athletics for ratification.</p> <p style="font-weight: 400;">“It has since been pointed out to us that one of the athletes (Tina Clayton) was not tested on the night after the world record performance.
- It is a fact that all four athletes were notified by the 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.
The Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) has admitted fault in its handling of doping control methods at the 2022 Carifta Games which has resulted in track and field’s world governing body, World Athletics, refusing to ratify the girls’ Under-20 4x100m world record.
The event was won by Jamaica in 42.58 seconds inside Kingston’s National Stadium on April 17, beating the nation’s previous World Record of 42.94 seconds set in Nairobi, Kenya, last year. The four athletes who established the record were Tia and Tina Clayton, Serena Cole and Brianna Lyston.
However, World Athletics said all four athletes were not drug-tested after the event, as per protocols governing world records.
“I apologize on behalf of JADCO to the JAAA (Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association), the country and the girls,” Alexander Williams, chairman of JADCO, told the media later on Wednesday.
He cited a lack of “common sense” on the part of his doping control officers, though he claimed they operated within the protocols mandated by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
JADCO explained why its doping officers tested only three of the four young ladies who competed in the world record.
“The event was won by the Jamaican team which comprised of four athletes. They completed the race with a world record 42.58. Doping Control was conducted immediately on three of the female athletes.
“Since one of the athletes was already tested on the 16th of April 2022, a urine same was not collected from this athlete on the 17th of April 2022. It is customary and in JADCO’s Best Practice in-competition, that if an athlete is tested today in-competition, the said athlete would not be tested the following day in-competition.”
The local drug testing agency which was contracted by the local governing body, the JAAA, to provide doping control at the 49th staging of the annual event, noted that it was instructed to carry out a specific number of tests for each of the three-day championships, but it went beyond that number.
The statement continued: “JADCO was contracted by the JAAA to 18 urine samples throughout the period of the Games. The Commission was advised to carry out six urine tests per day with testing being done on any athlete who achieved a national/world record.”
It claimed that six athletes, three Jamaican female athletes, two male Jamaican athletes and one male from The Bahamas, were tested on the first day, April 16.
On the second day, April 17, JADCO tested nine athletes, six Jamaican females, one Jamaican male, one female from the US Virgin Islands and one male from The Bahamas.
It added that on the third and final day, six more athletes were tested, three Jamaican males, one Jamaican female, one male from Curacao and one female from The Bahamas.
The statement added: “The JADCO has recognized that World Athletics has declined to accept the result of the record-breaking performance of Jamaica’s Women’s U20 4x100m relay team on April 17, 2022, since one of the athletes previously tested by JADCO on April 16, 2022 was not tested on the day the record was broken.
“Whilst our testing conforms with WADA protocols, going forward JADCO will ensure the testing or record-breaking athletes despite the frequency of testing.”
The athlete who was not tested after the record run was Tina Clayton, the winner of the girls’ 100m gold medal the day before.
And while JAAA president Garth Gayle pledges that the association he leads will do everything to continue to assist the young ladies involved in the world record, the JAAA was scathing in its response to the incident, event as it plans an appeal.
“We will do all in our powers to assist these young ladies as they try and continue in their pursuit leading to Cali in Colombia for the World Under-20 Championships, and while the result is what it is we look forward to encourage our athletes to continue to strive for excellence and to do their best.”
In a statement earlier, the JAAA noted:
“At the recently concluded 49th staging of the Carifta Games held in Kingston, Jamaica, the winning Jamaican girls' Under-20 4 x 100m relay team ran a world record time. This performance along with the supporting documentation has been sent to World Athletics for ratification.
“It has since been pointed out to us that one of the athletes (Tina Clayton) was not tested on the night after the world record performance. It is a fact that all four athletes were notified by the 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.
“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.”
