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Jamaican Antidoping Official Faces Résumé Questions
Jamaican Antidoping Official Faces Résumé Questions
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By MATTHEW FUTTERMAN CONNECT
Updated Nov. 12, 2013 7:14 p.m. ET
The man responsible for overseeing the drug testing of Jamaica's Olympic athletes, including its vaunted sprinters, may not have received all of the graduate degrees on his résumé.
Enlarge Image
Herbert Elliott (far left) and other members of the Jamaica antidoping commission during a recent news conference. Reuters
As Jamaica's antidoping commission faces an inquiry into allegations that its testing before the 2012 Olympics was inadequate, a review conducted by The Wall Street Journal could not verify that Herbert George Elliott, the commission's chairman, earned a master's in chemistry from Columbia University and a medical degree and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Université Libre de Bruxelles.
These degrees were among several listed on a résumé posted on the website of the Caribbean and Central American Athletics Confederation Hall of Fame, of which Elliott is a member. Victor Lopez, the confederation's former president, said the résumé had been submitted to support Elliott's candidacy for the Hall of Fame, to which he was inducted in 2003. Lopez said he wasn't aware of any inconsistencies in the résumé.
In a series of telephone interviews last week, Elliott said he had obtained the degrees and denied fabricating a résumé. "My life is an open book," he said. "Why do I need to prove this? I went to these places." Elliott said he didn't know who had written the résumé on the website. He asked that his résumé on file with the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (Jadco) be examined. Jadco didn't respond to requests for that résumé.
The questions about Elliott's credentials come as the executive board of the World Anti-Doping Agency meets this week in Johannesburg to hear the results of a recent audit of Jamaica's antidoping efforts. The audit was commissioned last month after the agency's former executive director, Renee Anne Shirley, wrote an article for Sports Illustrated about what she described as lax drug testing of Jamaican athletes in the months leading up to the 2012 London Olympics.
Jamaican athletes have gained world renown in recent years. In August, its sprinters dominated the world track and field championships, as Jamaican men won four of the six medals in the 100- and 200-meter races and took the gold medal in the 4x100 relay. Jamaican women won that race as well, and Shelley Ann Fraser-Pryce won the 100 and 200. The country is also home to Usain Bolt, the current men's world-record holder in the 100 and the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the 100 and 200.
Jamaica's testing program first came under scrutiny in July when five athletes, including Asafa Powell, who won a gold medal in the 400 relay at the 2008 Olympics, and Sherone Simpson, a three-time Olympic medalist, failed drug tests during Europe's summer track season. Powell and Simpson said they were unaware nutritional supplements they were taking had ingredients that violated antidoping laws. Bolt and Fraser-Pryce have never tested positive for a banned substance.
Enlarge Image
Jamaica's 4x100 men's relay team won gold at the August's world championships. Reuters
After the admissions, Jadco said in a statement that its staff had taken measures to correct these failings by working "beyond the call of duty to ensure that the operations of Jadco were not compromised and that all roles and functions were adequately carried out by competent individuals."
Elliott has held a number of key positions. In 2000, he became a member of the International Amateur Athletics Federation's Medical Committee, now known as the Medical and Anti-Doping Commission. He also has served on the medical committee of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association.
Elliott served as one of Jamaica's team doctors at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was a medical official with the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association ahead of the London Games. He became chairman of the antidoping commission in Feb. 2012.
Jennifer Caplan, an official in the registrar's department at Columbia, said there is no record of anyone with Elliott's name attaining a master's in chemistry or working toward a degree in the department. The university's computer databases, which go back to 1982, and its microfilm records, which date to the 19th century, didn't show any record of him.
A spokeswoman for Université Libre de Bruxelles said the university restricts degree information to employers—and only with a job applicant's permission. But the university maintains a database of all of the required written works that students publish for graduation. A review of the database conducted by the Journal doesn't include any work listing Elliott as an author. Another database of graduate-science theses that students have written to attain Ph.D.s didn't contain any work by Elliott.
Elliott said he got his medical degree from Université Libre de Bruxelles in 1975, but couldn't recall when he obtained his Ph.D., or his master's at Columbia. He said the Jamaican government verified his credentials in 1978 when he returned to the country to practice medicine. He said the International Olympic Committee certified his medical credentials ahead of the 2008 Olympics. IOC spokesman Mark Adams said team doctors must provide certification but couldn't confirm that a certification of Elliott took place. He said the procedure can be different for each Olympics.
Elliott said he didn't know where his diplomas and other verifying documents were located. He said his late wife had been in charge of all of his papers. He later said he had found his medical diploma. Elliott said he received the docteur en médecine, chirurgie et accouchement (doctor of medicine surgery and childbirth) and had studied in the French section. He declined a reporter's request to inspect the diploma. "It's so long ago it doesn't matter," he said.
Elliott said he wrote a thesis on lysosomes, a cell particle involved with waste disposal, and didn't know why the university's database didn't have a record of it. "I don't know what they have done with the stuff," he said, referring to his thesis. "I did that more than 30 years ago."
Elliott said he was named to the board of Jadco in 2011 but stepped down after WADA said his appointment to the JAAA presented a conflict. He later became chairman.
In the Sports Illustrated article, Shirley wrote that the agency was unable to keep track of the whereabouts of Jamaican athletes for testing purposes, and employed just a single doping control officer. She said Jadco had conducted just one out-of-competition drug test between March and August 2012—key training months before the London Olympics.
In a statement, Jadco said the dearth of tests "was largely due to the unavailability of resources to fund the Test Distribution Plan in its entirety, which is valued at $350 per test. Outdated kits in Jadco's stock at the end of the financial year weren't used for testing. New kits were acquired in May 2012." Jadco executive director Carey Brown didn't return calls seeking comment. Shirley couldn't be reached for further comment.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Elliott challenged Shirley's allegations and described her as "a bit demented" and "a Judas."
Last week, three top WADA officials traveled to Jamaica to audit the antidoping effort. If deemed noncompliant, Jamaican athletes could be banned from international competitions.
Elliott participated in the meetings and said they went well. "We are now waiting for their report," he said.
—Mehmet Koksal contributed to this article
Write to Matthew Futterman at matthew.futterman@wsj.com
By MATTHEW FUTTERMAN CONNECT
Updated Nov. 12, 2013 7:14 p.m. ET
The man responsible for overseeing the drug testing of Jamaica's Olympic athletes, including its vaunted sprinters, may not have received all of the graduate degrees on his résumé.
Enlarge Image
Herbert Elliott (far left) and other members of the Jamaica antidoping commission during a recent news conference. Reuters
As Jamaica's antidoping commission faces an inquiry into allegations that its testing before the 2012 Olympics was inadequate, a review conducted by The Wall Street Journal could not verify that Herbert George Elliott, the commission's chairman, earned a master's in chemistry from Columbia University and a medical degree and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Université Libre de Bruxelles.
These degrees were among several listed on a résumé posted on the website of the Caribbean and Central American Athletics Confederation Hall of Fame, of which Elliott is a member. Victor Lopez, the confederation's former president, said the résumé had been submitted to support Elliott's candidacy for the Hall of Fame, to which he was inducted in 2003. Lopez said he wasn't aware of any inconsistencies in the résumé.
In a series of telephone interviews last week, Elliott said he had obtained the degrees and denied fabricating a résumé. "My life is an open book," he said. "Why do I need to prove this? I went to these places." Elliott said he didn't know who had written the résumé on the website. He asked that his résumé on file with the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (Jadco) be examined. Jadco didn't respond to requests for that résumé.
The questions about Elliott's credentials come as the executive board of the World Anti-Doping Agency meets this week in Johannesburg to hear the results of a recent audit of Jamaica's antidoping efforts. The audit was commissioned last month after the agency's former executive director, Renee Anne Shirley, wrote an article for Sports Illustrated about what she described as lax drug testing of Jamaican athletes in the months leading up to the 2012 London Olympics.
Jamaican athletes have gained world renown in recent years. In August, its sprinters dominated the world track and field championships, as Jamaican men won four of the six medals in the 100- and 200-meter races and took the gold medal in the 4x100 relay. Jamaican women won that race as well, and Shelley Ann Fraser-Pryce won the 100 and 200. The country is also home to Usain Bolt, the current men's world-record holder in the 100 and the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the 100 and 200.
Jamaica's testing program first came under scrutiny in July when five athletes, including Asafa Powell, who won a gold medal in the 400 relay at the 2008 Olympics, and Sherone Simpson, a three-time Olympic medalist, failed drug tests during Europe's summer track season. Powell and Simpson said they were unaware nutritional supplements they were taking had ingredients that violated antidoping laws. Bolt and Fraser-Pryce have never tested positive for a banned substance.
Enlarge Image
Jamaica's 4x100 men's relay team won gold at the August's world championships. Reuters
After the admissions, Jadco said in a statement that its staff had taken measures to correct these failings by working "beyond the call of duty to ensure that the operations of Jadco were not compromised and that all roles and functions were adequately carried out by competent individuals."
Elliott has held a number of key positions. In 2000, he became a member of the International Amateur Athletics Federation's Medical Committee, now known as the Medical and Anti-Doping Commission. He also has served on the medical committee of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association.
Elliott served as one of Jamaica's team doctors at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was a medical official with the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association ahead of the London Games. He became chairman of the antidoping commission in Feb. 2012.
Jennifer Caplan, an official in the registrar's department at Columbia, said there is no record of anyone with Elliott's name attaining a master's in chemistry or working toward a degree in the department. The university's computer databases, which go back to 1982, and its microfilm records, which date to the 19th century, didn't show any record of him.
A spokeswoman for Université Libre de Bruxelles said the university restricts degree information to employers—and only with a job applicant's permission. But the university maintains a database of all of the required written works that students publish for graduation. A review of the database conducted by the Journal doesn't include any work listing Elliott as an author. Another database of graduate-science theses that students have written to attain Ph.D.s didn't contain any work by Elliott.
Elliott said he got his medical degree from Université Libre de Bruxelles in 1975, but couldn't recall when he obtained his Ph.D., or his master's at Columbia. He said the Jamaican government verified his credentials in 1978 when he returned to the country to practice medicine. He said the International Olympic Committee certified his medical credentials ahead of the 2008 Olympics. IOC spokesman Mark Adams said team doctors must provide certification but couldn't confirm that a certification of Elliott took place. He said the procedure can be different for each Olympics.
Elliott said he didn't know where his diplomas and other verifying documents were located. He said his late wife had been in charge of all of his papers. He later said he had found his medical diploma. Elliott said he received the docteur en médecine, chirurgie et accouchement (doctor of medicine surgery and childbirth) and had studied in the French section. He declined a reporter's request to inspect the diploma. "It's so long ago it doesn't matter," he said.
Elliott said he wrote a thesis on lysosomes, a cell particle involved with waste disposal, and didn't know why the university's database didn't have a record of it. "I don't know what they have done with the stuff," he said, referring to his thesis. "I did that more than 30 years ago."
Elliott said he was named to the board of Jadco in 2011 but stepped down after WADA said his appointment to the JAAA presented a conflict. He later became chairman.
In the Sports Illustrated article, Shirley wrote that the agency was unable to keep track of the whereabouts of Jamaican athletes for testing purposes, and employed just a single doping control officer. She said Jadco had conducted just one out-of-competition drug test between March and August 2012—key training months before the London Olympics.
In a statement, Jadco said the dearth of tests "was largely due to the unavailability of resources to fund the Test Distribution Plan in its entirety, which is valued at $350 per test. Outdated kits in Jadco's stock at the end of the financial year weren't used for testing. New kits were acquired in May 2012." Jadco executive director Carey Brown didn't return calls seeking comment. Shirley couldn't be reached for further comment.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Elliott challenged Shirley's allegations and described her as "a bit demented" and "a Judas."
Last week, three top WADA officials traveled to Jamaica to audit the antidoping effort. If deemed noncompliant, Jamaican athletes could be banned from international competitions.
Elliott participated in the meetings and said they went well. "We are now waiting for their report," he said.
—Mehmet Koksal contributed to this article
Write to Matthew Futterman at matthew.futterman@wsj.com
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