It takes a lot to knock the smile off a Jamaican’s face. If you have seen the 1990s movie Cool Runnings, then you know exactly what I am talking about - bad accents and all.
Jamaicans have struggled with many issues in the past and continue to face mounting challenges on a daily basis, all with customary island cheerfulness. Contentment in crisis, some may call it.
A crumbling economy? “No problem.” One of the highest crime rates in the world? “No problem.” But where track and field is concerned, there is very little for Jamaicans to smile about these days.
For many, athletics - and sprinting in particular - has served as a sort of Shangri-La, an escape from the crude realities on ‘The Rock’. Over the better part of the last decade, athletics not only replaced football and cricket as the island’s No 1 sport, it also became the main unifying force for Jamaicans and one of the few things that still stir national pride, keeping that island ideal intact.
So when news broke that five Jamaicans, including Asafa Powell - perhaps the most beloved athlete on the island - had tested positive for banned substances, the sense of shock and dismay was palpable.
Given my role in breaking the story, I found myself being subjected to conflicting forces. I know each and every one of these accused athletes involved on a personal level, and breaking and reporting on their positive results have not always been without human sentiment.
But as a professional, there must remain a commitment to the facts and a pursuit for accuracy and truth. There are some in Jamaica who may have preferred those facts not be carried as boldly by the press here, but the vast majority, like myself, are only interested in the truth.
There has been no escape from the story for the last seven days. It has dominated every form of media and continues to be the No 1 news item a week on.
Maybe that is no surprise. Powell, a former 100-metres world record holder, two-time World Championships bronze medallist and relay gold medal winner at the Beijing Olympic Games, is, as he puts it, the “golden baby” of Jamaican sports. He is also, probably, the most loved among the locals – more so than Usain Bolt, despite his world records and Olympic gold medals.
This comes as a huge shock for persons outside of Jamaica and even for some here at home. Perhaps it is because Powell is seen as the man who kick-started Jamaica’s era of sprinting prowess in 2004 when he recorded his first sub-10sec time in the 100m. Ordinary Jamaicans also find it easier to identify with Powell: he is the more reserved, ‘friend-next-door’ persona, as opposed to the colourful and extravagant Bolt.
For Jamaicans, these revelations were devastating. The country had a proud history in sprinting anyway - dating back to 1948, when Arthur Wint and Herb McKenley took each other to the line - but in 2008, the island emerged as the world’s sprinting capital.
New stars such as Bolt, Powell, Veronica Campbell-Brown (another who has tested positive for drugs in recent weeks), Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Melaine Walker and Kerron Stewart turned Jamaica helped themselves to a record 11 medals, including a sweep of all the sprints, and turned the island into a marketing powerhouse.
Back home, athletes and their coaches rose to near-deity status, gods and goddesses among mere mortals. They adorn billboards and TV spots, their every move is covered in the morning’s press. They are community champions, who draw attention at every turn.
A Jamaican athlete is an instant focal point in any setting on the island. There is always a fan wanting to meet them, take pictures or simply chat.
Powell, Bolt, Yohan Blake and Fraser-Pryce are the faces of multimillion-dollar ad campaigns, advertising everything from water to cell phones. Motorcades and ceremonies are the norm for athletes returning from major championships and Bolt even has an honourary degree and a ‘Order of Distinction’ to his name – the sixth in order of precedence in the Jamaican honours system. The sprinter even turned down suggestions to have a highway named in his honour.
Yet even the most ardent of athletics fan can admit that the island’s brand has taken a major hit. Many are still willing to give the athletes the benefit of doubt, but still key questions remain unanswered. Was the scandal born out of a real intention to cheat or were the athletes simply careless or led to believe that the supplements that they claim to be taking were in fact legit? And how far does this problem spread?
Jamaica has come a long way in their anti-doping efforts. Five years ago, the government passed legislation to create the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (Jadco), giving the organisation a £410,000 kitty. One could argue that it has worked for the most part, as the organisation continues to pull in ‘positive’ results. Some 15 positive tests from 860 samples have been uncovered by Jadco over the past four years. But there is so much more that needs to be done.
Officials will always point to budgetary limitations but there is a feeling that there needs to be more out-of-competition testing. Also, education must also be a major elements of their duty and I am of the view that not enough is being done to sensitise all involved to the prohibitions and the many pitfalls.
These are questions that politicians and administrators must address, as the country’s No 1 sport faces a challenge like never before. Is Jamaican sprinting dead? No. But it has suffered serious injury. It is time to look at the problem before its condition becomes terminal.
Andre Lowe is a reporter for the Jamaica Gleaner