JAAA can’t rule on IAAF wild-card entry – Crowne

Sports attorney Dr Emir Crowne has questioned the logic of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association’s (JAAA) decision to uphold Danielle Williams’ disqualification in the women’s 100m hurdles final at the JAAA/Supreme Ventures National Athletics Championships last week while considering the race “null and void”.

The JAAA said in a press release last Wednesday that it will name its three hurdlers for the event at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, this September based on their world ranking as of August 16. However, Williams will not be considered for selection as her disqualification is being upheld. But Crowne says this is illogical.

“They tried to carve up the race into the first start, and then the restart,” he told The Gleaner. “The first part of the race is still valid and she’s disqualified, but the second part of the race is null and void. I think that’s inappropriate. If you’re gonna say the race is null and void, then that means the race plus any restarts. That is part of the race, so they have to consider that part, as well, to be null and void.”

Under IAAF rules, the winner of this year’s Diamond League championship in his or her respective discipline will earn an automatic qualification spot for the World Championships, which creates the possibility of Williams qualifying via this avenue.

But JAAA President Dr Warren Blake told The Gleaner that despite this possibility, the decision still rests with his association. However, Crowne says such a decision in this situation would not be up to the JAAA.

IAAF MATTER

“The wild card is an IAAF matter,” he said. “In fact, when one looks at the qualification system and entry standard for Doha, set out by the IAAF under the category of wild card, if a member federation has four athletes in one event as a result of this regulation, all four are eligible to compete. So if Jamaica is already sending three, and Williams earns the IAAF’s, not Jamaica’s, wild card, then the regulation says that all four will be permitted to compete. The regulation is very clear and is, in fact, using mandatory language. There is no discretion for the JAAA to reject that wild card, to review that wild card, to reassign it, or anything. With respect, Blake was out of line to suggest that the JAAA would meet to discuss such a wild-card entry.”