JADCO to Continue Education and Sensitisation Programmes

The Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) will continue its series of education and sensitisation programmes this year, as it seeks to inform stakeholders about the Anti-Doping in Sport Act.

Minister with Responsibility for Sports, Hon. Natalie Neita Headley, said workshops “will be conducted for elite athletes and their support personnel to ensure that they are familiarized with the current rules as well as the changes that will come into effect on January 1, 2015.”

The Minister was making her contribution to the 2014/15 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on June 24.

The sensitisation sessions will also focus on the difference in operation among the bodies that fall under the Anti-Doping in Sport Act.

In an interview with JIS News, Executive Director of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission, Carey Brown, said it is important that the public is made aware of the varying functions of the bodies.

“JADCO, the Jamaica Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (JADDP), and the Jamaica Anti-Doping Appeals Tribunal (JADAT), while governed by the same Act, all work independently. JADCO’s role is to test and educate,” he said.

Mr. Brown noted that in addition to the education and sensitisation programmes, JADCO in March published a list of prohibited drugs, copies of which were distributed to clubs and federations.

“We want athletes to be aware of the dangers involved in taking supplements and that they maintain proper nutrition. We also want them to know that we are their friends and that we continue to offer support,” the JADCO head said.

Mr. Brown pointed out that JADCO’s recent partnership with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES), will assist in offering quality service, as it seeks to build its operating capacity.

The joint initiative with CCES will also focus on having JADCO meet the requirements of the 2015 World Anti-Doping Code and Mandatory International Standards by 2015, and to have the Commission address recommendations outlined in WADA’s November 2013 report.

Last year, JADCO in collaboration with the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), conducted a series of anti-doping workshops across the island, targeting junior athletes, high school coaches and other support personnel.