The National Sports Commission (NSC) will soon be testing athletes for prohibited substances.
The announcement, which came on the heels of cyclist, Alanzo Greaves being slapped with a further three-year ban by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was first reported by the Government Information Agency (GINA).
Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, in an interview with GINA, stated that once Guyana adapts the anti-doping laws, athletes participating in local competitions will be subject to testing.
He warned that anyone found positive for an illegal substance will face the consequences. “Any tournament that we (government) are funding, those athletes would have to subject themselves to testing and if they would have used (an illegal substance) in a few days or recently, they would see themselves being disqualified from participating,” Jones explained.
According to Jones, anti-doping on the world stage is very important to sporting bodies.
The Sport Director said the NSC will be interacting with the various sporting associations and athletes on what is acceptable regionally and internationally as it relates to anti-doping.
“In Guyana in particular, it is not something that is being driven by the sport authorities so you have a lot of our locals will fall prey that they believe they can use these substances, participate in sports, do well and that is what will elevate them,” Jones explained. He said the meeting with the associations will set the tone on the way forward.
Additionally, the NSC will also be doing educational talks in primary and secondary schools.
“We are going to be doing programmes in schools as well as educating them about anti-doping and the expectations of the regional and international bodies for persons who are involved in sports,” Jones told GINA.
He said, targeting athletes at a young age was critical and will make them aware that using illegal substances such as “weed” will not make them a better athlete but destroy their potential career.
According to Jones, the anti-doping initiative is another step by the government to raise the standard of sports in Guyana.
