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GOVERNMENT OF JAMAICA

JADCO COLLABORATES WITH JAAA TO HOST JUNIOR ATHLETES ANTI-DOPING EDUCATION WORKSHOPS

The Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) in collaboration with the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) hosted a Junior Athletes Anti-Doping Workshop for athletes and athlete support personnel, from schools in Kingston and St. Andrew and St. Thomas on Wednesday, February 12, 2014, at the Jamaica Conference Centre (JCC).

Speaking at the event, The Honourable Natalie Neita Headley, Minister without Portfolio, for Sport said “As junior athletes you may feel that you fall under less suspicion. In fact, in some sports like track and field where many youth and junior athletes are multi-disciplined, your performance over several events will often draw some suspicion if not greater media speculation and the more successful you become the greater the suspicion will be.” She also advised the athletes to double check with JADCO before taking any medicine or supplement, despite the advice of their coaches or trainers. “You have to allow yourself to have a healthy dose of skepticism. If it is too good to be true or it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t true. You have to ask someone else, your principal, your parents for assistance, or call the JADCO office and explain your concerns to someone there. We are making ourselves available to you, to ensure that you get the right guidance.”

Recently appointed Chairman of JADCO, The Honourable R. Danny Williams, said “You, not your coaches, not your parents or your doctor will be held responsible for any prohibited substance found in your body. Therefore, it is important that you take responsibility for yourselves, and ask questions before ingesting anything into your body. When all is said and done, you are the one who will be held accountable. So we urge you to protect yourselves.”

Also speaking at the event, Dr. Warren Blake, President of JAAA said “This is where the journey starts. Some of you will go on to represent your schools and Jamaica at international events and you will be tested when you do so. We need as a prelude to any testing programme to ensure that you are educated, because we would not want a positive test to come from a cold medicine”.

The workshop featured talks from JADCO representatives, medical practitioner, Dr. Winston Dawes and Marcia Swyer-Forbes, Chairperson for the Education Committee and Medical Committee of the JAAA. As a result of the workshops, participants were able to increase their knowledge of the role of JADCO, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Jamaica Anti-Doping Program. They were also informed of the Doping Control Process, banned substances and the role of support staff.

The event was the first in a series of workshops to be held across the island. Workshops will also be held at the following locations:

G.C. Foster College St Catherine Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Church Teachers College Manchester Wednesday, February 26, 2014

The Wexfrod Hotel St. James Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Tropical Lagoon Resort Portland Wednesday, March 19, 2014

JADCO was formally established with the passage of the Anti-Doping in Sport Act, 2008 as the national anti-doping organisation. JADCO’s mandate is to foster a doping-free environment in Jamaica that promotes the ethics and spirit of sport and deters the use of banned doping practices in sport through education, testing, advocacy and programme coordination.

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For further information, please contact:
 
The Communication and Education Department 
Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission
Ballater Multiplex 1 Ballater Avenue, Kingston 10, Jamaica