Jamaican athletics leaders have brushed off the threat of the nation’s stars being excluded from the Olympics.
The possibility has arisen after Word Anti-Doping Agency president John Fahey hinted Jamaica could be declared non‑compliant because of delays in arranging an audit of drug-testing procedures in the country.
Such a move would lead to the country’s athletes being banned from major championships such as the Olympics irrespective of whether the individuals have done anything wrong.
But Dr Warren Blake, president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association, told The Times: “I don’t think it’s a possibility at all. What would London have been without Jamaica? What would 2012 have been without our athletes? It’s not going to happen.”
Leading Jamaican athletes such as Olympic champion Usain Bolt and former world champion Yohan Blake — neither of whom has failed a drugs test — face regular tests as part of the IAAF’s anti-doping programme.
