Stokes: Everything will be cleared
Member of women’s two-man bobsled team tests positive for banned drug
PRESIDENT OF the Jamaica Bobsled and Skeleton Federation Chris Stokes says the latest challenge to the women’s two-man Winter Olympics team will not break the momentum they gathered after their historic qualification to the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
Stokes spoke after the disclosure that a member of the two-man bobsled team has tested positive for a banned drug.
The bobsled boss confirmed on Friday that one of the two athletes who represented the country in Pyeongchang, South Korea, had returned an adverse analytical finding for a banned drug. The athlete returned the infraction from a test done in Switzerland in mid January.
“We have been here (in the sports) for 30 years and I am not worried about that (impact that it will have). It is a little thing. Do I want it? No, but it has happened. It is what it is and we deal with it,” Stokes said. “Without question, at the end of this, we will move forward. Even in our track and field, there is a chance that somebody is going to be touched with something (positive test) that you have to navigate around and you learn and you go on.” Stokes said that the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation has informed the athlete of the infraction. “I know that the world is trying to fight performance enhancement in sports and, it might touch you, and you play your part, and you do that by co-operating, and I am certain that everything will be cleared,” Stokes explained. He said he is sure that at the end of the process it will be revealed that it is ‘much ado about nothing’.
“Educating our athletes about the use of drugs in our sport has always been a cornerstone of our programme. Even to where we are today, part of the reason why I am so confident, is because I know that we have that education system in place,” Stokes said.
A member of the team who wished to remain anonymous, said the numerous challenges that the team has encountered in the lead up to the games – and during it – has taught them to bond together during tough times, and this latest challenge is no different.
“All three of us were on the phone this morning (Saturday morning) and we know how to stay together, because while we were there, everywhere we turned, there was another challenge to hinder us from making that transition, and we kept finding loopholes to push past that, and that is something that we have encountered straight throughout the season until this day. The last one (challenge) was with the sled, and we got over that, thanks to Red Stripe,” the athlete said.
She continued: “We are a group and we have each other’s back straight throughout, and that’s the thing, we support each other with whatever may come, but we give our fair advice to anything. But we are
still a team.”