Adrian Frater, News Editor
Western Bureau:

After seeing the 'slap on the wrist' American sprinter Tyson Gay got from the US Anti-Doping Agency for his use of an anabolic steroid, it immediately dawned on me that the Jamaica anti-doping disciplinary panel must have erred in banning Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson for 18 months, each for their use of a banned dietary stimulant.

Based on my understanding of an anabolic steroid and a dietary stimulant, the use of the former is a very serious offence, while the other is a misdemeanour. It, therefore, goes without saying that, if Gay got a mere one-year ban from the US authorities, there is no way that Powell and Simpson should have been banned for 18 months.

Naturally, I was quite elated when I heard that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected the ruling made by the Jamaica anti-doping disciplinary panel and reduced Powell and Simpson's ban from 18 months to six, which I believe is a more fitting punishment for their offence.

Like anyone who believes in fundamental fairness, I am totally against athletes using banned substances to gain an unfair advantage over those competitors who are playing by the rules. As such, I have no problem with Powell and Simpson being punished for their indiscretions.

My problem with the Jamaica anti-doping disciplinary panel is that it appears to be operating like a renegade entity, totally oblivious of how it should function to be in sync with the provisions of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). As a consequence, the rulings lack fundamental fairness and the basic tenets of natural justice.

It is, therefore, no wonder that despite acknowledging the athletes committal of an infraction, the CAS nonetheless ruled that Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) should pay the legal cost for the athletes' appeal, clearly suggesting that they believe the Jamaica anti-doping disciplinary panel was completely out of bounds with its ruling.

Like Stephen Francis, the highly respected coach of the MVP club, and many other reputable persons who have made it quite clear that they are not at all impressed with the way JADCO operates, I, too, believe that JADCO is sadly lacking in direction, credibility, and conviction.

In fact, based on some of the sentiments expressed in recent times by former JADCO insiders Renée Anne Shirley and Dr Paul Wright, the organisation appears to be on shaky grounds in terms of meeting its mandate to WADA. As a consequence, the nation's reputation is taking a battering, casting an ugly shadow over the integrity of the nation's entire track and field programme.

I hope the recent CAS ruling will be seen as a wake-up call by the Government, which has overall responsibility for JADCO and its affiliates. It is clear that some of the personnel appointed to service the organisations are lacking the requisite skills to act in accordance with acceptable international standards, hence the recent faulty judgements and other missteps in the past.

On account of the harm that JADCO and its affiliates have been doing to Jamaica's reputation, maybe it would not be a bad idea if the Government should heed Stephen Francis' advice to disband JADCO and divest our drug-testing operations to a country like Canada, which has clearly mastered the whole matter of anti-doping.

I am of the view that sports is far too important to Jamaica and its people to allow JADCO and its affiliates to threaten the wonderful legacy of our athletes because of its inability to properly discharge its functions, creating a platform to cast our athletes in a bad light on the global stage.

Feel free to send your feedback to adrianfrater@hotmail.com.