KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Four Jamaican athletes were yesterday cleared of doping related charges following a ruling by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission Disciplinary Panel, but uncertainty remained over their participation in next week’s World Championships.
Yohan Blake, Marvin Anderson, Lansford Spence and Allodin Fothergill, who had all been named in Jamaica’s squad for the World Championships in Berlin, tested positive for a banned substance but JADCO said they could not make a conclusive determination that the athletes had violated any doping code.
“We weren’t able to determine conclusively that the drugs that was found as a prohibited substance was not on the WADA prohibited list and therefore we have not found any of the athletes in violation of the code,” said Kent Gammon, chairman of the JADCO Disciplinary Panel.
The quartet will now have to endure a further wait to see if they will campaign in Berlin for the August 15-23 event as JADCO’s decision has been passed on to track & field’s world governing body, the IAAF who will review the ruling when they meet on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Last month, the four athletes tested positive for 4-Methyl-2-hexanamine in samples taken at the National trials in June.
Commonwealth Games 100 metres champion Sheri-Ann Brooks also tested positive for the same drug but was cleared last Wednesday because of “an irregularity”.
Following hearings last week, the JADCO Disciplinary Panel comprising Gammon, Bert Cameron and Dr Winston Isles, met on Saturday to review the evidence from athletes and the arguments put forward by their lawyers.
There is already doubt surrounding Anderson’s participation in the World Championship because of injury concerns.
