Kingston, January 24 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has announced that Jamaica will establish a National Anti-Doping Compliance Committee as part of measures to enhance the national programme to keep sports clean.

The Committee will ensure that Jamaica conforms to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s code and UNESCO’s International Convention against Doping in Sport.

“We want to ensure that our athletes are playing clean and fair,” said Minister Grange who made the announcement at a symposium organised by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission, an agency of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport at the Jamaica Conference Centre on Thursday (January 24).

According to the Minister, the establishment of the Committee will among other things “improve information sharing, promote planning, design and delivery of joint initiatives and enhance the anti-doping programme’s impact and effectiveness.”

She said that the Committee will also ensure a more comprehensive response to the national compliance report to be submitted to UNESCO.

“I am confident that Jamaica will be ranked compliant, however, in order for Jamaica to be successful, there has to be the collaborative effort of all entities and stakeholders in the fight against doping in sport,”

Minister Grange said.

Under the International Convention against Doping in Sport Jamaica has a responsibility to report bi-annually on its efforts for a doping free environment in the country.

The National Anti-Doping Compliance Committee will include representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the private sector, tertiary institutions, law enforcement and health.

Kingston, January 7 - The Honourable Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, has said that she was pleased that the work to install a new track at Stadium East in the Independence Park complex started today (January 7) as previously announced.

The Sport Minister spoke from Stadium East where grading work started to remove the old track which will be replaced by a new Regupol running track.

“Today as we start the process to replace this track we must remember that Stadium East has provided the training ground for some of Jamaica’s top class athletes including the legendary Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Veronica Campbell Brown and Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce among others. Indeed, it may have nurtured and produced the best athletes in the world.

“I must express gratitude to the Ministry of Finance and Planning for their level of cooperation with my Ministry to make this project a reality.”

Minister Grange added that the Ministry hopes to put in new running tracks in central and eastern Jamaica in the next fiscal year.

Meanwhile, the contractor on the project, Peter Breuer, Director Export, BSW of Germany, said that the company was creating history in Jamaica by using newly developed durable material at the request of the Minister. The material will also be used for other locations in Jamaica.

Regupol running tracks which are manufactured in accordance with the IAAF quality standards are suitable for both international professional sports as well as for school and popular sports.