Veronica-Campbell given the green light to compete following failed drug tests
Two time Olympic 200 meters champion Veronica Campbell-Brown has been given the green light to compete once again by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).
This after the IAAF apparently rejected the JAAA Disciplinary Panel’s ruling of a public warning into her failed drugs test at last year’s Jamaica Invitational at the National Stadium.
However, Campbell-Brown appealed against the two-year suspension at the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, which ruled on Monday that she had not been guilty of any violation and was now free to resume her track career.
The appeal hearing was fast-tracked with the agreement of the IAAF so that a decision would be reached before the World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland, which begin on Mar 7.
The 31-year-old, who has won 18 Olympic and world championship medals, said she had suffered much in the last few months.
“The past several months of my life has brought me much pain and suffering, however, my faith, family, friends and fans have stood by me as a source of encouragement and a reminder that God’s word is true in that He will never leave us nor forsake us”.
She also added “The final court available to us as athletes have spoken and humbly I say they have confirmed my innocence. I harbor too much self-respect and a similar respect for the purity of competition to resort to illegal means to success. This same self-respect will now enable me to leave behind the insensitive and ill-informed media remarks and look towards returning to the track to give of my best to God’s glory”.
“Yes, I lost out on the opportunity to compete for most of 2013 and the chance to defend my World 200m title, however, I press on. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of the redemptive quality of unearned suffering and I must say I am redeemed”.
Campbell-Brown who has effectively served an eight-month suspension because she has not raced since her positive drug test was announced last June, thanked her support personnel including the legal team headed by former Prime Minister PJ Patterson and manager Claude Bryan and the IAAF for “expeditiously handing my case to Cas”.
“I would be remiss in not thanking the IAAF for expeditiously handing my case to the Cas. My legal and management team will be available to address the media in greater details as I now focus on moving forward with my career and philanthropic efforts”.
The ruling paves the way for Campbell-Brown to make her international return for Jamaica in the 60 metres, where she will have to the chance to take her third successive world title after victories in Doha in 2010 and Istanbul in 2012.
The IAAF refused to comment on details of the case on Monday but said in a statement: “The IAAF was made aware earlier today of the CAS judgment but has not received the full reasoned decision and therefore will not make any comments about the decision at this stage. We can, however, confirm that the athlete Veronica Campbell-Brown is now free to compete.”
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