West Indies opener John Campbell was charged with doping violations in late April. According to the West Indies Players’ Association, Jamaica’s Anti-Doping Commission has held a preliminary hearing since the allegations against Campbell.
However, Campbell’s anti-doping hearing was postponed until Tuesday, August 2, despite an inquest (trial) scheduled for July 19. The West Indies Players’ Association said in a brief statement that the matter had been postponed, without saying whether any evidence had been heard on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Kent Gammon.
Jamaica’s anti-doping agency alleged that the left-hander breached WADA’s whereabouts rule, which requires a player to be suspended three months in advance and spend an hour each day from 5 AM to 11 PM When they are available for out-of-competition testing.
He was accused of refusing to provide a sample to JADCO doping control officials, who also held a disciplinary hearing to determine whether he refused to provide a test sample to representatives of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO).
A player can be considered to be in violation of the anti-doping rules for “skipping, refusing or failing to submit a sample” and can be banned from cricket for up to four years if found guilty.
Accordingly, the 29-year-old Jamaican batsman John Campbell was banned for four years on Friday by a three-member independent panel after it was proved that he missed, refused, or failed to submit the sample collection by JADCO on April 20, 2022. According to the 18-page decision, Campbell’s ban will resume until early May this year.
On the evidence presented, the panel did not find that the athlete’s anti-doping violation was not intentional. According to sections of the reports,
“The panel is persuaded to a comfortable degree of satisfaction that the athlete committed an anti-doping rule violation, namely breach of JADCO rule 2.3.”
“In the circumstances of this case, the athlete is ineligible for a period of four years, as per JADCO Rule 10.3.1, and the time will be counted from the date of the athlete’s notification of the anti-doping rule violation that is from the 10th of May 2022.”
Meanwhile, Campbell’s legal representatives, Nunes Scholefield Deleon & Co, a Jamaican law firm, issued a statement on his failure to provide the sample, saying he was “with regards to an incident where he did not provide the sample, and that there were several mitigatory factors supported by evidence which were not challenged by JADCO and which ought to have militated against the imposition of the maximum penalty. to date never returned an adverse analytical finding for banned substances.”
“Evidence not challenged by JADCO and should fight the imposition of the maximum penalty.” The statement also highlighted that Campbell had “to date not provided an adverse analytical finding for the banned substances.”
The West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) posted on its website that John Campbell and his legal team were deeply disappointed by the decision by JADCO. (according to NUNES SCHOLEFIELD DELEON & CO Ayana L. Thomas, Mark-Paul Cowan.)
Mr. John Campbell and his legal team are very disappointed with the ruling of the Independent Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel. Mr. Campbell has been a clean athlete throughout his outstanding career as a batsman and he remains committed to clean sport.
The allegation concerned refusing or failing to submit to sample collection after proper notification pursuant to Article 2.3 of the JADCO Anti-Doping Rules. Our client has, to date, never returned an adverse analytical finding for banned substances.
Mr. Campbell’s position was that he had not been properly informed by JADCO. There have been several violations of mandatory international testing and investigation standards by JADCO regarding athlete notification which, in our view, were not adequately addressed by the panel.
Mr. Campbell’s position was that he was not properly notified by JADCO. There were several breaches by JADCO of the mandatory International Standards for Testing and Investigations in respect of the notification of the athlete which, in our view, were not adequately addressed by the Panel.
Additionally, there were several mitigatory factors supported by evidence which were not challenged by JADCO and which ought to have militated against the imposition of the maximum penalty, even if the Panel found that the athlete committed a violation.
Our client will therefore at this time consider exercising his right of appeal … and will make a decision shortly ; (Quote, ESPNcricinfo)
The 29-year-old Campbell has played 20 Tests, 6 ODIs, and two T20Is for West Indies. However, he started the innings in several matches with the captain with the red ball, which ended very well and was praised by the board.
