JADCO must face up to faults

THE EDITOR, Sir:"Not ideal" has to be the understatement of the year.

Would someone get the data out at your paper and stand up for Renée Anne Shirley? There is ascandalof gross negligence on the part of the Government and its sports representatives and they seem bent on disguising this fact at the expense of thehonourable Shirley.

From WADA's online report for 2012 testing, http://www. wada-ama.org/Documents/ Resources/Testing-Figures/ WADA-2012-Anti-Doping-Testing-Figures-Report-EN.pdf(or Google 'WADA 2012 Anti-Doping Testing PDF'),Jamaica only tested its track and field athletes 59 times, not the 106 being quoted. That 106 comprises tests for track and field (59), boxing (7), cycling (1), football (7), tae kwon do (2), volleyball (5), cricket (6), netball (18), bodybuilding (1).

Compare the 106 JADCO tests to the US Anti-Doping Agency's 4,051 (2,279 track and field). Or the Russians: 15,854; the Chinese: 10,066; German: 8,077; Italian: 6,794; British: 5,971; Australian: 4,956; Indian: 4,051.

Jamaica's 106 were five more than Malta's, two more than Slovenia's, nine fewer than Iceland's. Who is making a serious effort to catch the cheaters?

Also, consider the number of athletes in track & field for Jamaica versus the US at the last Olympics: 47 vs 125. Admittedly, the US probably has more depth of elites at each event, butstudying five US athletes in 2012, you get Galen Rupp (19 tests), Justin Gatlin (6), Carmelita Jeter (6), Allyson Felix (6), Sanya Richards-Ross (7); 44 tests already (http://www.usada.org/athlete-test-history). If all of Jamaica's athletes were tested at least once, there is little room for a second.

Is Dr Herb Elliott's "adequate" a responsible answer? Not to mention the conflict of interest as a formerteam doctor.How can we, as a nation, tell anyone with a straight face that our athletes are clean?That's not to say that I don't have faith, but the world outside Jamaica's borders does not operate on our faith.

I treasure our track heroes and I'm sure Shirley does also, but Jamaica MUST have a respectable testingsystem for full legitimacy. As I see it,the Sports Illustrated article was the only way to get movement on the issue.

Someone in Jamaica's Government needs to take responsibility and JADCO needs funding and new leadership.

PHILIP LOFTERS

plofters95@gmail.com