Dubai: A top anti-doping official from compression sportswear manufacturer Skins has dared World and Olympic champion Usain Bolt to come out in the open on Jamaica’s questionable anti-doping testing programme.
“The disappointing thing here is that Usain Bolt is not come out publicly berating the Jamaican Anti-Doping Commission (Jadco) for not doing their job. Roger Federer has come out and said he wants to see a strong anti-doping in tennis. Why is Usain Bolt so silent?” Jaimie Fuller, chairman, Skins told Gulf News in an exclusive chat.
“The disappointing thing for me is that Bolt has not stood up publicly as an advocate and as a leader in his sport. There are few people in this world, who by the virtue of the place they hold, are in a position to speak and be heard. Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have spoken on behalf of tennis. Why has Bolt not said anything?” he queried.
Skins is an Australian-owned company that designs and manufactures technical compression sportswear for elite athletes and sports enthusiasts. Led by its outspoken chairman Fuller, the company has been vocal opponents advocating ethical practices in sports while conducting its own anti-doping research.
Exactly two months back, Skins launched an anti-doping initiative called “Pure Sport” petitioning for change with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Former world champion sprinter Ben Johnson has joined Fuller in the campaign travelling around the world expounding the values of the company.
“As a leader in athletics, someone like Bolt has an obligation to come out publicly and say ‘this isn’t good’, particularly when it is impacting his reputation. So when people know how good he is and the times he does, and overlay that with all the chicanery that goes on with the Jamaican anti-doping authority, then people start asking some very big questions,” he pointed out.
There has been growing pressure on Jadco to get all its athletes’ drug testing practices audited by Wada amid claims of worrying gaps in screening. And with senior officials within Jamaica admitting that the out-of-competition testing was insufficient ahead of the 2012 London Olympics, a number of Jamaican stars including Asafa Powell, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Sherone Simpson have tested positive for banned substances since then.
“If I was Usain Bolt I would be jumping up and yelling out from the roof tops that these guys are ruining my reputation and that they should be doing their jobs. The question that needs to be asked is ‘Why is Bolt not saying anything?’ Fuller asked.