KINGSTON, Jamaica, (CMC)-The Jamaica government has cut its funding to the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) by 14 million dollars, the country’s minister with responsibility for Sports Natalie Neita-Headley has announced.However Neita-Headley says she does not anticipate a recurrence of the local doping scandal which rocked the sport of Track and Field because of the strides the country has made to improve its anti-doping programme.

Neita-Headley was addressing the parliament days after President of the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) Craig Reedie applauded the progress made by Jamaica to improve its drug testing programme during a short visit to the island.
The allocation to JADCO is being reduced from $104 million to $90 million.
“We don’t anticipate the number of cases we experienced over the last year,” Neita Headley told the Jamaica parliament.
“I believe we have spent a great deal on educating our athletes, introducing a new website that provides additional information. Our athletes are more aware as a result of the Anti-Doping Commission embarking on a programme of work that made it far more efficient”.
Jamaica has been attempting to repair its programme since a number of its athletes including former world record holder Asafa Powell and Olympic Gold Medalist Sherone Simpson, tested positive for banned substances.
Neita-Headley says despite the budget cut, the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) will still be able to carry out its work programme which includes the introduction of blood testing.
“We are to embark, in this year, on the EPO blood-testing programme, and it will not affect their programme of work. There is expected to be a reduction in a number of areas that were heightened last year, one of which was the hiring of a consultant to assist with the new Anti-Doping in Sports Act,” Neita-Headley said.
“We have additional drug-testing personnel, we have additional personnel in the area of education and communication, and we have embarked on the junior educational programme, and we have introduced a new website”.