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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><SPAN class=TopStory>Monitoring our athletes</SPAN>
<SPAN class=Subheadline></SPAN></TD></TR><TR><TD>Dennis Morrison
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=70 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD><SPAN class=Description>Dennis Morrison</SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><P class=StoryText align=justify>There was an air of excitement in my regular barber shop on Sunday when world 100-metre record holder Asafa Powell stepped up to collect his prize, having won that event in Berlin. While Yumbie, my barber, was happy with Asafa's success, there was a degree of apprehension in his manner.<P class=StoryText align=justify>This was puzzling to me because Asafa had not only run a fast time, but had just won a huge sum of money. Pretty soon, this young Jamaican male sprinter is going to surpass all the milestones for 100-metre runners, having run below 9.9 seconds so often in a single season.<P class=StoryText align=justify>In response to my probing, Yumbie confessed that while he was proud of Asafa's achievement, he had a serious concern that this would expose him to the risk of sabotage. In his own words: "Missa Morrison, mi fraid him get in trouble."<P class=StoryText align=justify>Apparently, there is a strong view among the people that there has been tampering with the supplements taken by athletes, and in other ways, as suggested by the handlers of Justin Gatlin. This, in their opinion, has led to the downfall of several top athletes.<P class=StoryText align=justify>If these suspicions are justified, it is critical that those who handle our top athletes beware, especially because of Jamaica's very good track record to date. At the level at which Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson and others are operating, their regimen cannot be left to chance.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Every aspect of their daily routine - training, diet, and meet appearances - has got to be closely monitored. This responsibility must primarily rest on the shoulders of their trainers and managers, who should be aware of all the various rules and regulations, and who I am sure are being well compensated.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The other responsibility in this matter resides in the governing authorities of athletics and other sports in Jamaica. These local authorities must see to the regular testing of our athletes to ensure that they are clean. This they should do in order for us to be in full compliance with the international obligations to which Jamaica has committed itself. Further, the strong stance taken by Prime Minister Simpson Miller against doping in sports must be backed up by vigilance on the part of those who are mandated to implement the anti-doping regime. We should all realise that with the greater prominence of our athletes, the international bodies are going to scrutinise them even more closely.<P class=StoryText align=justify>In recent times, it is quite clear that the international anti-doping bodies have become highly sophisticated in detecting illicit drugs being used by athletes, especially in track and field. The experts in these anti-doping bodies have closed the gap that existed between their methods and technology, and those of the drug-takers. They have come a long way since the 1970s and '80s when the athletes of eastern Europe and in the West were able to break the rules with impunity. The USA, which had been regarded as one of the more lax in terms of drug testing, has now ramped up its system, à la the Balco scandal.<P class=StoryText align=justify>No one should, therefore, be in any doubt as to whether they will be caught, sooner rather than later. To prove this, two big names have been nabbed in recent weeks and they follow several others who were caught in the last
<SPAN class=Subheadline></SPAN></TD></TR><TR><TD>Dennis Morrison
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=70 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD><SPAN class=Description>Dennis Morrison</SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><P class=StoryText align=justify>There was an air of excitement in my regular barber shop on Sunday when world 100-metre record holder Asafa Powell stepped up to collect his prize, having won that event in Berlin. While Yumbie, my barber, was happy with Asafa's success, there was a degree of apprehension in his manner.<P class=StoryText align=justify>This was puzzling to me because Asafa had not only run a fast time, but had just won a huge sum of money. Pretty soon, this young Jamaican male sprinter is going to surpass all the milestones for 100-metre runners, having run below 9.9 seconds so often in a single season.<P class=StoryText align=justify>In response to my probing, Yumbie confessed that while he was proud of Asafa's achievement, he had a serious concern that this would expose him to the risk of sabotage. In his own words: "Missa Morrison, mi fraid him get in trouble."<P class=StoryText align=justify>Apparently, there is a strong view among the people that there has been tampering with the supplements taken by athletes, and in other ways, as suggested by the handlers of Justin Gatlin. This, in their opinion, has led to the downfall of several top athletes.<P class=StoryText align=justify>If these suspicions are justified, it is critical that those who handle our top athletes beware, especially because of Jamaica's very good track record to date. At the level at which Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson and others are operating, their regimen cannot be left to chance.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Every aspect of their daily routine - training, diet, and meet appearances - has got to be closely monitored. This responsibility must primarily rest on the shoulders of their trainers and managers, who should be aware of all the various rules and regulations, and who I am sure are being well compensated.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The other responsibility in this matter resides in the governing authorities of athletics and other sports in Jamaica. These local authorities must see to the regular testing of our athletes to ensure that they are clean. This they should do in order for us to be in full compliance with the international obligations to which Jamaica has committed itself. Further, the strong stance taken by Prime Minister Simpson Miller against doping in sports must be backed up by vigilance on the part of those who are mandated to implement the anti-doping regime. We should all realise that with the greater prominence of our athletes, the international bodies are going to scrutinise them even more closely.<P class=StoryText align=justify>In recent times, it is quite clear that the international anti-doping bodies have become highly sophisticated in detecting illicit drugs being used by athletes, especially in track and field. The experts in these anti-doping bodies have closed the gap that existed between their methods and technology, and those of the drug-takers. They have come a long way since the 1970s and '80s when the athletes of eastern Europe and in the West were able to break the rules with impunity. The USA, which had been regarded as one of the more lax in terms of drug testing, has now ramped up its system, à la the Balco scandal.<P class=StoryText align=justify>No one should, therefore, be in any doubt as to whether they will be caught, sooner rather than later. To prove this, two big names have been nabbed in recent weeks and they follow several others who were caught in the last
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