Jamaica's 2008 Olympic 100 metres silver medallist Sherone Simpson received an 18-month suspension for doping from the Jamaica Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel on Tuesday, a ruling her management team said will immediately appealed at the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS).
Paul Doyle, Simpson’s manager in a statement today said, “we confirm that Sherone Simpson has been handed an 18 month suspension by the JADCO disciplinary panel. The panel has given no written explanation as to how or why they came to this decision.
“We feel that this ruling is incredibly unjust and we will be appealing to the Court of Arbitration of Sport immediately.
Simpson returned positive analytical finding for a stimulant, oxilofrine at last June’s 2013 Jamaican Championships. Simpson said the substance was found in a new supplement given to her by Canadian physical trainer Chris Xuereb.
JADCO's lawyer Robinson, who during his closing arguments in front chairman Lennox Gayle, Peter Prendergast and Dr Japheth Ford on February 25, said, "Ms Simpson is guilty of gross negligence" and should serve two years for her action.
Gayle, in announcing the verdict, said: “having listened and reviewed all the evidence and listened to the detailed submissions of councils, this panel is unanimously of the view that Miss Simpson was negligent in all the circumstances as an elite athlete and as such, the period of ineligibility will be 18 months commence from the date of June 21, 2013."
However, Simspon’s manager Paul Doyle believed such a sanction is too much for his athlete.
“The case in our opinion should be very straight forward. Sherone took a legal supplement that was contaminated with Oxilofrine. Two different labs that we commissioned to test the supplement both determined that Oxilofrine was present and that it was not declared on the label.
“Additionally, on our advice, USADA ordered the supplement directly from the company and tested it themselves and confirmed the same. Subsequently, USADA has posted a warning on their website warning athletes not to take the supplement because it contains banned substances that are not declared on the label. These are the core facts of Sherone’s case and cannot be disputed.
“Typically in such a case, the athlete is given a punishment ranging from a public warning to three months of ineligibility. The fact that the panel has given 18 months suspension and have provided no explanation as to why is unacceptable in our opinion. As a result, we will be seeking justice instead from the Court of Arbitration of Sport,” concluded Doyle’s release.
The panel after announcing its verdict would normally take few weeks to submit their reasons in writing.
