Court of Arbitration for Sport upholds Traves Smikle ban

Jamaica’s discus thrower Traves Smikle has lost his appeal against his two-year ban imposed by a Jamaica Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel in June 2014.

Smikle, the former national record holder was banned for two years, after traces of the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) were found in his urine sample taken following competition at the National Championships on June 23, 2013 to select Jamaica’s team to the IAAF World Athletic Championships in Moscow, Russia.

The ban expires today.

However, Smikle, who was able to compete under a stay of the ban granted by CAS, will have all his marks achieved during that time disqualified.

In February this year, Smikle lost his appeal before a Jamaica Anti-Doping Tribunal.

His lawyer, Dr Emir Crowne, then filed to have the case heard before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The case was heard on June 4 in Toronto, Canada and the panel returned its decision today.

In expressing surprise at the decision, Dr Crowne said he and his team did all they could do for the athlete including filing a 924-page appeal brief with the aid of his lawyers and two legal students.

“I’m in genuine surprise and shock,” said Dr. Crowne, who was assisted by Bryan McCutcheon and Miganoush Megardichian.

“I’m devastated. There’s no sporting benefit for a discus thrower to use diuretics. The legal principles in Campbell-Brown (case) should have produced a similar result.”

READ: Veronica Campbell-Brown gets public warning

A two-year ban against Campbell-Brown was overturned by the CAS after it was established that the athlete’s sample was collected in clear breach of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s International Testing Standards.

Under those standards, any athlete needing more than one attempt to produce the required volume of urine for testing should deposit the samples in separate partial sample kits that should have been provided by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO).

Like Campbell-Brown, Smikle was asked to provide his sample in the same container, despite having to ‘go’ three times.

Smikle is down to compete at the national championships this weekend to select Jamaica’s team to the world championships in Beijing, China.