I wish the best for VCB and hope this turns out to

[Islandman]

be more negligence than intent on her part.

However its time for Jamaicans to stop acting as if every positive Jamaican test can be easily explained away, while every positive test of a non-Jamaican is a case of obvious intent to cheat.

Given how many positives, however minor, we have had among our elite athletes in the last few years it is an indefensible position to take. I understand it has a lot to do with investing so much emotion into our athletes but always remember, as much as we love these athletes most of us do not know them.

[MdmeX]

Well said Islandman. Wish her well.

This too shall passs, in whatever way the resolution comes.

[Historian]

Well said

be more negligence than intent on her part.

However its time for Jamaicans to stop acting as if every positive Jamaican test can be easily explained away, while every positive test of a non-Jamaican is a case of obvious intent to cheat.

Given how many positives, however minor, we have had among our elite athletes in the last few years it is an indefensible position to take. I understand it has a lot to do with investing so much emotion into our athletes but always remember, as much as we love these athletes most of us do not know them.

Well said, Islandman. As usual, you have provided a concise, rational, and balanced commentary. I agree with everything you have said here.

However, I just want to add that this matter of “investing so much emotion in our athletes,” as you correctly put it, actually has a specific raison d'être which makes it understandable. Our athletes’ successes are a matter of national pride, and one of the few things left that we Jamaicans are given some respect for. A clear example of this is the huge way in which the Jamaican government linked the London Olympics with our 50th Anniversary of Independence celebration. Another example is the reports emanating from certain police stations in Jamaica about a fall off in crime during the highlight of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In other words, our track and field athletes’ successes, in the eyes of many (probably most) Jamaicans inside the country and abroad are intrinsically intertwined with Jamaica’s image on the international stage.

You are absolutely correct in your “investing emotion” statement, but beyond that the successes of our athletes symbolize both national success as well as what hard work can do.

[Assasin]

It is sad but, at this point, I hope she can explain whatever it is but my heart goes out to VCB the person at this time, Not VCB the athlete. if you get what I mean.

[Karl]

Shall I just say...from before Ben...and continuously I have been believing and saying - Just allow all who so wish to experiment with 'drugs'.

My thought has been and is,

man is man, is man.

...and there is one thing we all know about man: we are eternally curious. We seek to find out how to go faster, jump higher...even fly! We seek Shangri-La, the perfect man (...even no incurable illness) and eternal life. Will we ever find them? Maybe not but we are wired to continually seek.

Is it fools goal for some among us to seek to short-circuit those our 'wires'. mmmm?...perhaps, it is that they seek their ultimate goal? How to short-circuit our hot-wire craving for faster and higher... ...perhaps? ...perhaps you may say wired in our DNA???!!! I do believe!

The above in no way seeks to take a position on whether or not VCB's positive findings were 'fairly' found or if there is a legitimate explanation for such findings on her A and B sample.

[Sickko]

A positive test is in no way an indication of the athletes trying to beat the system, given how the test are conducted and the length and content of the WADA lists, the simplest mistakes could result in a positive.

Certainly Ricardo Cunningham last year or Shelly in 2010 or the five athletes that tested positive for the stimulant in 2009 could be accused of trying to cheat- yet they all have one strike against them.

In the case with Shelly, no way the pain killer could have helped her or given her any advantage in her racing or preparation but there it is in her system and was not declared on her form

As we have seen in so many tests, the manufacturers fail to include ALL the ingredients on the product label and when it shows up in the tests, it has to be explained.

[Islandman]

I get that Sickko, but given that we have had so many positive tests now which we have been willing to accept as unintentional, we may want to accept that the same could happen to other countries athletes as well.