‘We’re sorry!’ - JADCO apologises for Under-20 Women’s 4x100m world record voiding

Chairman Alexander Williams says the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) is at fault for Jamaica's Under-20 Women's 4x100m world record not being ratified by World Athletics.

Jamaica's 42.58-second clocking has been rejected because Tina Clayton, a member of the team completed by Serena Cole, Brianna Lyston, and Tia Clayton, was not drug tested at the completion of the race at the Carifta Games in Kingston on April 17.

Williams told STAR Sports yesterday that JADCO did not follow specific protocols that were set by the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA).

"The international standard for testing does not bar JADCO from testing an athlete twice within a 24-hour period and this was some directive that exists in JADCO," Williams said, "unbeknown to me until this moment that if you test one time, you don't test within 24 hours, and apparently this is what led to the decision not to test this particular athlete on the 17th as opposed to the 16th.

"This is an explanation and not an excuse, JADCO dropped the ball on this and JADCO is at fault.

"I want to apologise to the JAAA, to the athletes, and to Jamaica for this blunder, because it is a blunder. It is far reaching, and I am going to do all that I can to ensure this does not happen again."

The JAAA said that documents were sent to World Athletics for ratification, and that was when it learnt Tina was not tested.

"It is a fact that all four athletes were notified by JADCO officials and presented themselves to the anti-doping station within the required time window to be tested," the JAAA said yesterday.

"Unfortunately, JADCO took the decision, unknown to the JAAA and the NACAC's (North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association) Anti-Doping Delegate, not to test the athlete based on a JADCO standard. This was in direct contradiction to oral and written instructions by the JAAA.

"It is to be noted that JADCO is the agency that performs anti-doping testing on our athletes both in and out of competition on behalf of the JAAA and was contracted to do so at the NACAC 2022 Carifta Games."

Jamaica, however, still holds the record, as the previous ratified time (42.94) was set by the Claytons, Cole, and Kerrica Hill at the World Under-20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya, last August.