Latest update November 21st, 2024 1:00 AM
Shewdas’ coach, Jackson wants WADA to back off
-says anti-doping body is “judge, jury and executioner”
By Edison Jefford
Gumendra Shewdas’ coach, Egbert Jackson wants the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to back off with its testing programmes, stating that the Organisation has provided no evidence that suggested Shewdas used banned stimulants with intent to cheat.
Jackson has come under scrutiny since his athlete, Shewdas, returned a positive result for banned substances, Methylhexaneamine and Oxilofrine in his system. The tests were done at the request of the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) at WADA-accredited lab in Germany last year following the World Junior Championships in August.
With his prodigy, Gumendra Shewdas on his right, embattled powerlifting coach, Egbert Jackson talks with the media at the Total Fitness Gym at Line Path, Skeldon, East Berbice, on Tuesday as other family members of the powerlifter are rapt in attention.
“Who tests, who finds; all the same people; they (WADA) are judge, jury and executioner… they are faceless voices; to me, drug testers needs to back off; they need to prove intent,” Jackson said when asked about the prevalence of banned stimulants in his athlete.
“These testers has gotten zealous, they want to find fault. Essentially, there has been no evidence that this guy took anything to make him perform above and beyond. So far, they have nothing to show,” he added.
That was despite the positive test of Shewdas, which resulted in him being banned from the sport for two years and a $2000 Euros fine imposed on the GAPF. Shewdas’s grandfather, from whom he said he received tablets for nasal congestion, has since said that the athlete will not be paying the GAPF fine.
Jackson, like the Shewdas family, has refused to accept the results. His grandfather has said that it was “concocted” while Jackson is now indicating that WADA has no evidence, despite GAPF being in possession of the official analytical findings of the tests.
Shewdas was even offered the opportunity to have his ‘B’ sample tested, but he refused because the family said they cannot afford the tests. Jackson said that the local federation cannot disclose the quantity of the substance that was found in Shewdas’ system.
“All I can do is be a little more paranoid. This thing is not me it’s the testers. They’ve not proven anything. They (WADA) are saying once we say so it is so. There is no proof; they have made an allegation. As it stands they can indict you anytime,” Jackson noted.
“I don’t accept the findings; I can’t! We need to question; they have not proven anything, where is the objectivity,” the powerlifting coach continued in an effort to vindicate his athlete. Jackson believes that GAPF has allowed things to slide to a point of no return.
“I don’t know what they (GAPF) can do. I believe they have allowed things to slide too far. We do not know what they (WADA) do with your samples when they test you,” Jackson adding that he is not satisfied with the situation because his athlete are clean.
“We are all paranoid with this situation… we do not encourage these guys with those stuff here,” he said in conclusion. The GAPF has indicated that it will launch an investigation into the matter, while there was a call for the probe to be independent in nature.
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