JADCO’s 10 years of achievements

SINCE ITS inception, the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) has made significant strides. Over the past 10 years, the organisation has accomplished major milestones. These are indicated below:

During April 2010, the first issue of the JADCO newsletter, True Spirit, was disseminated. This newsletter is currently disseminated to federations/ associations and international partners on a quarterly basis.

JADCO hosted the inaugural Junior Athletes Anti-Doping Education Workshop for athletes and athlete-support personnel at the Jamaica Conference Centre on Wednesday, February 12, 2014. This workshop has been held annually since then.

In March 2014, the commission started an Athlete Biological Passport Management System, with assistance from the INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier in Montreal, Canada.

The Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport signed a 15-month joint-initiative agreement on May 15, 2014, which was renewed in 2018.

The JADCO website was launched on September 4, 2014.

JADCO conducted training of blood-collection officers as part of a broader training session for sample-collection personnel in November 2014.

The inaugural Senior Athletes Anti-Doping Education Workshop was held at the Liguanea Club in New Kingston on Saturday, November 22, 2014. This workshop has been held annually since then.

On December 8, 2014, JADCO signed a two-year memorandum of understanding with the Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association that enables medical practitioners to make presentations at JADCO’s workshops.

In 2014, the commission commenced refresher workshops for doping-control officers (DCOs) and chaperones every quarter.

• A mandatory recertification workshop for the DCOs and chaperones is now hosted biennially.

• In 2018, the sample-collection personnel training was reviewed to incorporate customer service and leadership.

The JADCO and You television and radio series commenced in January 2015. The feature is aired quarterly on Television Jamaica and monthly on 12 radio stations.

JADCO began including blood sample-collection in its doping-control process in June 2015. The commission carried out the blood-collection sessions in collaboration with Central Medical Laboratories Limited, a reputable phlebotomy company in Jamaica.

JADCO participated in the Values-Based Education Conference, which was held in Ottawa, Canada, during October 2015.

During the October 2015 series of Junior Athletes AntiDoping Education Workshops, JADCO introduced a new component focused on valuesbased education.

The JADCO mascot, Leo, the Dope Patrol Officer, was revealed to participants at the first 2015 series of Junior Athletes AntiDoping Education Workshops held at the Jamaica Conference Centre on Wednesday, October 7, 2015.

During 2016, JADCO partnered with the National ParentTeacher Association of Jamaica to host the JADCO/National ParentTeacher Association of Jamaica Anti-Doping Education Parenting Workshops.

In May 2016, JADCO gained financial independence from the Office of the Prime Minister.

JADCO and International Doping Tests and Management signed a contract on May 31, 2016, to conduct drug testing on Jamaican athletes living overseas.

n JADCO published its Nutrition Guide for Jamaican Athletes during November 2017.

During 2017, a member of JADCO’s technical team attended a Doping Control Officer Conference in Vancouver, Canada, geared towards recertification (Train the Trainer Programme).

JADCO has exceeded the total number of planned tests per year. During the 2017-2018 financial year, the target of 500 tests per year was surpassed.

JADCO staff members and sample collection personnel participated in various international games:

WADA Outreach team for the Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow during July to August 2014

Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang in 2018 n Pan-Am Games n Staff members are exposed to international conferences and workshops

In 2018, a database was created for the Technical Services Department to facilitate better records management.

The 2018-2019 JADCO Jingle Competition was launched at the first in the 2018 series of Junior Athletes Anti-Doping Education Workshops which was held at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston on Wednesday, October 3, 2018.

Evaluation forms are now analysed for all major workshops to aid in the improvement of the education programme

JADCO has established additional posts to strengthen the management activities of the Commission.

JADCO currently conducts testing on behalf of other antidoping organisations, international federations and major event organisers.

JADCO completed the Code Compliance Questionnaire from WADA and the Commission is fully compliant with the WADA Compliance Standard and Code.