WADA executive to see Jamaica report next week

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The World Anti-Doping Agency’s executive committee expects to examine the report from a two-day inspection trip to Jamaica, next week, Director General David Howman said yesterday.

Howman said the report on gaps in Jamaica’s testing of its star athletes in the build-up to the London Olympics will likely be presented to WADA’s board when it meets on the first day of its conference in South Africa, on Tuesday.

WADA also expects to meet with Kenyan officials at the four-day World Conference on Doping in Sport in Johannesburg. The East African country is also under scrutiny over doping procedures.

Howman said he was “content” with the process that was followed with WADA’s inspection of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission last week, following the revelations of a breakdown in the testing of the Caribbean island’s high-profile sprinters in the six months leading up to the London Olympics.

Eight Jamaican athletes, including former 100-metre world record holder Asafa Powell and Olympic 400 relay gold and silver medalist Sherone Simpson, have tested positive this year.

The three-member WADA team that visited Jamaica, last week, didn’t comment on any findings.

“We’ve been able to have a process, so from that point of view I’m content that the process has been followed,” Howman said yesterday by telephone from WADA headquarters in Montreal. “We’ll get a report shortly and we will deal with the report in the same way as we deal with any audit report from a stakeholder.”

Regarding Kenya, Howman said “frustration” was “a good word” to describe WADA’s feelings over the country’s delay in investigating a spike in positive tests among its athletes. A German broadcaster alleged last year that doping was common in the country’s famed high-altitude training bases, which are also used by big-name distance runners from other countries.

Kenya’s government and sporting authorities promised an investigation over a year ago, but there has been little progress.

“Nothing’s happened and we’ve been promised a lot. I would say it’s most disappointing from a country where once again they could benefit from being transparent,” Howman said. “They could benefit from working with us to see if there is a problem, how big it is.

“That’s just common sense at the end of the day because you don’t want a red flag flying over your country and over your athletes, who are very good athletes.”

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport/WADA-executive-to-see-Jamaica-report-next-week_15400651