Williams hearing starts today
Published:Monday | September 23, 2019 | 12:25 AMDaniel Wheeler/Gleaner Writer
The immediate sprinting future of Jamaican junior athlete Briana Williams will be determined when the Independent Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (IADP) begins to hear her case today at the Eden Gardens Wellness Resort and Spa at 10a.m. .
The Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) will be represented by Ian Wilkinson while Emir Crowne will represent Williams.
The three-day hearing will determine if the 17-year-old World junior record holder is liable for blame for her positive drug finding in June.
The three-member panel will comprise chairman Kent Gammon, Marjorie Vassell and Denise Forrest.
Williams tested positive for the banned diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) at the National Senior Championships, where she placed third in the 100m in 10.94 seconds. HCTZ is prohibited from use by the World Anti-Doping Agency because of its ability to mask the presence of performance-enhancing drugs.
Provisional selection
She has been provisionally selected for the 2019 World Athletic Championships in Doha, Qatar, which is scheduled to begin on Friday, but even if she is cleared to participate , she faces a short window to get to Doha in time for the start of the competition.
Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) president Warren Blake said that her inclusion in the team was a matter of giving her the opportunity to let the process play out.
“We firmly believe in the principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ ,” he said at the press conference announcing the 55-member squad on September 11.
“And for us not to select her and not to put her on the team would be to punish her even before she has been found guilty.
“If it happens that the panel finds that she is culpable and she is guilty, then she won’t be on the team.”
Williams’ representatives have cited a contaminated cold- and-flu medicine as the source of the banned diuretic and have maintained their position that she bears no blame in the positive finding.
Williams faces a maximum four-year ban from competition if she is found guilty.