KINGSTON, Jamaica - Quite a bit of negative publicity has plagued the region's sprinting powerhouse over the past two years, but head of the athletics body in that country, Dr. Warren Blake, assured that all of the drama is behind them, and they are prepared to move on.
Blake, the president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), said that Jamaican track and field is as strong as it has ever been, despite the recent doping revelations, and with eight spots in the relays up for grabs at the 2015 World Championships, he assured that the tiny island nation will field a very strong team for this year's world relay championships in The Bahamas.
The inaugural International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) World Relays is set for May 24-25, at the new Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.
Since the turn of the century, Jamaica has produced the cream of the crop in sprinting, not just in the Caribbean region, but in the entire world. Blake said that can be largely attributed to the competitiveness of their people.
"Our people compete in just about anything. We started out at the top, had some ups and downs over the years, and then gradually started to build back our successes," he said. "Around 2000, we started a growth pattern. Our growth continued, and then 2008 at the Beijing Olympics, we had our greatest success, winning five gold medals, all in the sprint events.
"Our foundation of success has been long in coming. If your history starts with something, you always want to maintain that pride level. When you look at the world relays in The Bahamas, we want to put together our strongest team possible. We are hoping to field teams that will be able to take on the rest of the world in the 4x1, the 4x2 and the 4x4. We expect to be very competitive."
With their national trials after the world relays, Blake said that they will most likely have a selection process that will allow the coaches to submit the names of the athletes who are interested in running, and then look at their times with a strong focus on selecting the top times and the best set of athletes to represent Jamaica.
He also said that for the first time in many years, they should have a strong 'A' squad for the Commonwealth Games, as the world's most dynamic male and female sprinters could possibly make an appearance. Shelly-Ann Fraser has already made a commitment, and there are rumors that Usain Bolt has an interest. The 20th Commonwealth Games is set for July 23 to August 3, in Glasgow, Scotland.
"Even with the recent doping cases, this is best that Jamaican sprinting has been for many years," said the JAAA chief. "We have over 20 athletes who could easily qualify for a major meet if they run for another nation. The final of the men's 100 meters at our nationals, all of the guys could have run under 10 seconds. That's as competitive as any world championships or Olympics.
"We have over 20 athletes who could run 10.2 on any given day, and now that has extended to the high schools. It's at a point where those senior athletes running 10.2 probably should look to the longer distances, because if you run 10.2 in Jamaica, you are not going to make it in the sprints."
There is no question surrounding the rise of Jamaican sprinting to world prominence, but recent doping revelations have cast a dark shadow over the tremendous success they have experienced.
A trio of the nation's top sprinters, former world record holder Asafa Powell, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Sherone Simpson, all tested positive for banned substances last year. Since then, Campbell-Brown has been exonerated as she won her appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, but the cases of Powell and Simpson are still pending. Even without them, Jamaica was able to dominate the sprints at last year's Moscow World Championships, with Bolt and Fraser-Pryce leading the way. Bolt is unquestionably the fastest man in the world today, and Fraser-Pryce has replaced Campbell-Brown as the darling of the sprints in female athletics. Jamaica also came under fire last year, due to insufficient tests by their local body for doping, the Jamaican Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO).
"I find it very disingenuous when people try to say that Jamaica is a dope-tainted country," said Blake. "Our athletes are the most tested athletes in the world. JADCO was not testing athletes because of financial reasons. The IAAF has an anti-doping program to ensure that wherever athletes are in the world, they are tested, and they monitor the testing of those athletes.
"We have no question that our athletes are clean. We have had some athletes tested positive recently, diuretics and minor stimulants, and people are not differentiating between those and anabolic steroids. Jamaica doesn't make designer drugs. Where would our athletes get these drugs from if we are not making designer drugs? Are you telling me that some developed country has made them, given them to us to use them and then turn around and beat their athletes? If they are going to develop designer drugs, they will use them first.
"With respect to JADCO, we recognize the need for out-of-competition testing, and we are ensuring with them that, that is done. The most recent cases have done us some damage, and the media hasn't helped in that regard. There have been some untrue statements printed in the media.
"The USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) president has gone on record to say that he has been encouraging the JAAA to take steps in the doping fight, but I have never spoken to this man and I have been leading the anti-doping fight for the JAAA since 2000. None of my officials have spoken to him, so I don't know who in the JAAA he has been encouraging. When statements like this are made by responsible people in responsible positions, it helps to taint Jamaica. There have been some unfortunate statements in the media that just haven't done the Jamaican program any help."
Blake said that they won't allow the detractors out there to disrupt their focus, and their efforts, in producing the world's best sprinters.
"The fact of the matter is that we are talented, and we have the trained coaches who can hone that talent," said Blake. "Athletes could only do well if they have trained coaches, and we have probably one of the more trained set of coaches in the world. Quite a few of them are IAAF certified in addition to be locally trained. Every single high school in Jamaica has a trained coach. There are a lot at the primary level and a lot at the college prep as well. We have quality coaching all around. When you look at a lot of our nine and 10-year-olds, you would see them running with proper technique and form, and that is due to a strong coaching program. If you have any kind of track and field talent in Jamaica, and you wish to run, you are going to be discovered."
Blake said that the Cubans aided the process as well, by allowing some of their coaches to come in and cross-train, and by donating a couple of specialized institutions in the 70s.
As far as the base of their program is concerned though, Blake said that one needs to look no further than the Inter-Secondary School Sports Association (ISSA) Boys and Girls Championships, commonly known as 'Champs', which coincidentally gets underway this week here in Kingston. The stadium legitimately holds up to 35,000, but on any given day of 'Champs' about 40,000 strong are present cheering on their respective schools and athletes.
"People are trying to suggest that Jamaica has a doping program, but when you really look at it, Jamaica started doing well, and reaping the success, when the world anti-doping efforts started," said Blake. "The times didn't improve tremendously, but the medal success did. We have always had athletes running fast, but the medals success came late.
"Statements began coming out of the U.S. that perhaps they should look at limiting the amount of Jamaicans who were coming to the states to train because we were gaining their expertise, and using their expertise to beat them. So along came Stephen Francis and his Maximizing Velocity and Power program, otherwise known as MVP. What he was able to do was pull half of the Jamaican team to his camp to train locally. Glen Mills and Racers followed suit, and that was followed by a period of tremendous success in the sprints. In actuality, we went from 90 percent athletes in the states to now where 90 percent are home grown.
"A lot of our success can be attributed to 'Champs' as well. As you will see this week, the meet is very well organized and very intense. Some of the best athletes that Jamaica has to offer come out of 'Champs'. It is comparable to any junior level meet in the world."
Young athletes from about 164 schools throughout Jamaica take part in 'Champs'.
Blake further said that they in the JAAA are in the midst of a series of interactions between themselves and the high schools, so as to implement an education program as it relates to performance-enhancing drugs.
"When our athletes go abroad, they are tested, so we want them to know what drug testing is all about, and what medications they can use and cannot use," said Blake. "The athletes themselves are ultimately responsible for whatever they put into their bodies. They have to ask themselves if this is something they can take, or should be taking, and if they are not certain, they need to find out before they take it."
High on the JAAA's agenda as well is technical help in the form of foreign coaches who specializes in certain areas.
"We are going to see some success in the other events," Blake assured. "At this point, we're looking at a possible exchange program with Kenya where we can switch coaches. We'll send them a sprints coach and they'll send us one of their better distance-running coaches.
"If we intend to take over and dominate track and field, we have to expand into other areas. That's one thing about the Jamaican spirit. We don't get satisfied very easily. We want everything...we are a little greedy that way.
"At the end of the day, track and field is big business, and I do intend to make the Jamaican track and field situation capitalize from the finances that the world has to offer. We are a poor country, and our athletes have not always been earning a great deal of money. One of my aims is to show people that track and field can be a real alternative to earning a living.
"Football is still the number one sport in Jamaica in terms of people participating, but track and field has more pulling power in terms of numbers at the stadium, and internationally, our athletes are reaping the rewards. If our module for track and field is followed around the world, we could be in a position where it replaces football as the most popular sport."
For now, Blake and the JAAA are simply focused on sending a very strong team to the world relays though. That event is set for May 24-25 at the stadium.

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