Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce says she wants her country’s sports officials do more to counter “untrue” allegations of doping
Jamaican sprint queen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has threatened to lead an athletes’ strike of major championships unless her country’s sports officials do more to counter “untrue” allegations of doping and provide better support for their international athletes.
Fraser-Pryce, who won three gold medals at this summer’s World Championships in Moscow and 100 metres gold at the London Olympics, says she has been hurt by international criticism of Jamaican athletes and has accused her federation of doing nothing to defend the reputation and integrity of her and her fellow track stars.
She has also attacked the lack of medical and financial support available for up-and-coming athletes in Jamaica, claiming that sports officials are happy to enjoy the benefits of the country’s track successes while contributing little.
The 26-year-old says she is currently making good progress in setting up a union to give athletes a greater voice on the Caribbean island and she insists she is prepared to take a firm stand to ensure the concerns of her and her compatriots are addressed.
Asked if that included going on strike, even at international championships, she replied: “If there are certain things that are not up to standard, then that’s the thing we have to do because if we don’t run, they [Jamaica’s officials] will start to do thing
“If it comes down to actually not competing to make sure that things are up to scratch when it comes to facilities and different things in Jamaica, then I would.
“We believe that we deserve to have good things, especially at a time when we are doing so well, and also not to have our names tarnished.”
Fraser-Pryce, who is in Monaco for tomorrow’s World Athlete of the Year awards ceremony, said she was angry that no-one in the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association appeared to be sticking up for athletes in the face of so much criticism from abroad.
“As athletes we sit and think, when international media or whoever make judgments or statements about Jamaica, why aren’t members of our federation coming out and speaking up for us?
“We are the ones out there competing and yet we read articles and listen to people making accusations about Jamaica, and there’s nobody there to take a microphone, be a big person and say, ‘What you’re saying is wrong and it’s a lie’.
“A lot of things being said in the media are untrue but there’s no person in our federation who saying that these things are a lie.
“We have members in our federation who are just sitting back and enjoying the benefits of the fruits of our labour. They’re all embracing the things we do but when it comes to doing their job, they’re not doing it.”
Fraser-Pryce said she was particularly hurt by comments made by Jamaican anti-doping official Dr Paul Wright earlier this week when he claimed that the six positive tests involving Jamaican athletes this year could be the “tip of the iceberg”.
She said: “If you’re Jamaican, you’re part of our administration and you make a statement like that and then nobody defends it, then those things are hurtful. But it’s not true. I don’t think we have a doping issue. We’re tested wherever we go.”
Jamaica’s doping record has been under scrutiny following revelations of insufficient out-of-competition drug-testing and under-staffing. It was announced this week that the United States Anti-Doping Agency had agreed to assist the Jamaican authorities in improving their anti-doping programme.
But Fraser-Pryce denied there was a doping culture in the country and said the recent problems were simply down to contaminated or poorly labelled supplements and vitamins.
“There’s nobody in Jamaica sitting there and doping up to run fast,” she said. “There’s not an issue like that. What has happened is just cases of athletes neglecting to correctly check the supplement they’ve had. It’s not like they are deliberately or intentionally cheating. They’re not.”