BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - LOCAL and regional athletics officials are calling on athletes to be mindful of what substances and stimulants they use during and after competitions. This follows the recent scandal that saw Jamaican sprint sensation Usain Bolt being stripped of his 2008 Olympic Relay Gold Medal.
That came as his teammate Nesta Carter’s 2008 Beijing Games sample tested positive for the banned stimulant – methylhexaneamine.
Chairman of the Regional Anti-Doping Agency, Dr. Adrian Lorde during a recent interview with the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) news, charged that regional athletes need to be mindful of what they consume since many of the products listed on labels of stimulants are not always what is provided.
“We in the Caribbean [at the] RADO recommend to athletes to please do not take supplements at all,” he said, “eat natural foods, drink lots of liquids and perform naturally.”
With rumours circulation that methylhexaneamine was not a banned substance at the time of the Beijing Games, the news anchor sought clarification on the matter, and Dr. Lorde indicated that it was, noting that it was placed on the World Anti-Doping list since 2004 - well before Carter's test.
“It was put on the list under a special list called specified substances in 2011. So it was actually on the list and was being tested for in 2008. However, the tests were not sensitive enough to reveal anything at that time.”
To this end, the RADO head explained that the International Olympic Committee has been using its statute of limitation and storing Games samples for 10 years. This, he noted is being done, so, if new technology is developed that can detect substances previously untraceable on the list at the time, then sanctions can be granted.
Public Relations Officer at the St. Kitts-Nevis Amateur Athletics Association (SKNAAA) Evris Huggins, in an invited comment, intimated that it was “a very unfortunate situation” that occurred with the sprint king, Usain Bolt.
On the local front, he noted that steps have always been in place to prevent doping and deal with athletes who engage in such practices.
Huggins pointed to education and training programmes that they have with the athletes on the effects of using banned stimulants or drugs during and after competitions.
“For the most part, when a national team is selected, we try as best as possible to encamp the athletes and prepare them for the competition and for post-competition, by providing them with a host of literature - be it in the form of lecturers who can guide them to the necessary tools that is needed to help them focus in that regard.”
Speaking specifically to doping, the PRO noted that they have a long-standing relation with the National Anti-Doping Organization (N.A.D.O), Regional Anti-Doping Organization (R.A.D.O) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (W.A.D.A).
For the most part, the SKNAAA is very active as it relates to educating athletes about the WADA codes and rules, Huggins indicated.
The R.A.D.O is the region’s top anti-doping agency covering 17 countries with the exception of Jamaica, which has its own testing body. And according to Dr. Lorde, it is general to protect the rights of all clean athletes within the region.
He debunked claims that more scrutiny would be placed on Caribbean athletes in light of Carter’s positive test results.
The Federation had been embroiled in the international spotlight when Tameka Williams admitted to using a growth hormone despite never testing positive.
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