Jamaican Olympic and World Champion Veronica Campbell-Brown (VCB) has been cleared to run again by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), her American-based lawyer Howard Jacobs said today.
VCB tested positive for the banned diuretic hydrochlorothiazide on May 4, 2013 at the Jamaica International Invitational World Challenge meet in Kingston. She was provisionally suspended on June 18 by the Jamaican Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA).
According to a report in the Irish Times, Jacobs told Reuters news agency by email: “I can confirm that Veronica Campbell-Brown has been cleared by CAS. All of her past results have been reinstated and she is free to compete effective immediately.” He also noted that VCB intended to compete at the World indoor championships in Poland next month.
Jacobs further stated that “because the CAS hearing was completed on an extremely expedited basis, the full reasons for the award have not yet been issued, and may not be issued for a few months.
“However, it is clear that the reason for the decision was a serious and fundamental breakdown in the manner in which Veronica Campbell-Brown’s urine sample was collected and handled in Jamaica on May 4th, 2013.
“The integrity of the sample was not maintained and the results of any testing on that sample were therefore unreliable.”
JAAA Ordered to Pay
CAS has told the IAAF and the JAAA to pay a portion of Campbell-Brown’s legal costs in connection with the appeal, he said.
Meanwhile, a report by Simon Hart in The Telegraph online has shed light on how the athlete’s case had reached the CAS.
The IAAF, he said, thought the public warning Campbell-Brown received from a disciplinary panel in Jamaica was too lenient of a punishment and intervened two weeks ago to order a two-year ban for her.
However, Campbell-Brown appealed against the two-year suspension at the Swiss-based CAS, which ruled on Monday that she was not guilty of any violation and was free to resume her track career.
The report further stated that the appeal hearing was fast-tracked with the agreement of the IAAF so that a decision would be reached before the World Indoor Championships.
Here is VCB’s statement on her management company’s Web site:
The past several months of my life has brought me much pain and suffering, however, my faith, family, friends and fans have stood by me as a source of encouragement and a reminder that God’s word is true in that He will never leave us nor forsake us.
The final court available to us as athletes have spoken and humbly I say they have confirmed my innocence. I harbor too much self-respect and a similar respect for the purity of competition to resort to illegal means to success. This same self-respect will now enable me to leave behind the insensitive and ill-informed media remarks and look towards returning to the track to give of my best to God’s glory.
Yes, I lost out on the opportunity to compete for most of 2013 and the chance to defend my World 200m title; however, I press on. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of the redemptive quality of unearned suffering and I must say I am redeemed.
I wish to specially mention my dear husband and coach Omar, my parents, Omar’s grandparents and my siblings for standing by me when I needed their strength. Thanks of course to my legal team of Mr. H. Jacobs, Honorable P.J Patterson Q.C., Ms. N. Foga and Mr. M. Morgan. Their varying degree of expertise was invaluable to me during the journey to clear my name. To my management team led by Mr. C. Bryan and Mrs J. Bryan your unwavering support was important as well. I would also like to thanks my prayer team of Pastor Maison and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. A. Watson, Minister Earl and my aunt Sharon and all the churches that have been praying for me. To my main sponsor adidas, I also say thanks.
I would be remiss in not thanking the IAAF for expeditiously handing my case to the CAS. My legal and management team will be available to address the media in greater details as I now focus on moving forward with my career and philanthropic efforts.