JADCO begins blood testing

The Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) has officially included blood sample collection in its doping control process, starting in June 2015.

The commission will carry out the blood collection sessions in collaboration with Central Medical Laboratories Limited, a reputable phlebotomy company in Jamaica.

"We began blood testing during the month of June with the assistance of our international partners, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES)," said Carey Brown, executive director of JADCO.

"The CCES was instrumental in guiding us through the process of training the relevant personnel and setting up the appropriate mechanisms to ensure blood sample collection is done according to the International Standard for Testing and Investigations."

He added: "The implementation of blood testing is a step in the right direction for anti-doping in Jamaica as this will further ensure the protection of our clean athletes."

Paul Melia, president and CEO of the CCES, congratulated JADCO on its effort.

"The ability to collect blood samples, in addition to urine samples, is an integral component of an effective testing programme, which protects the integrity of sports and the right of clean athletes to compete in a sports system free of doping," Melia said.

JADCO conducted training of blood collection officers as part of a broader training session for sample collection personnel in November 2014.

The training session was funded

by the United Nations Edu-cational Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

improve testing

The addition of blood testing is another improvement to Jamaica's testing programme to ensure the organisation is compliant with the international standards.

In March 2014, the commis-sion started an Athlete Biological Passport Management system, with assistance from the INRS - Institut Armand-Frappier in Montreal, Canada. They are Jamaica's Athlete Passport Management Unit for the steroidal module.

This enables JADCO to monitor the samples given by athletes over time for changes in their biological parameters, which could suggest doping and provide material for further investigation.