THE Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) has stepped up its public education initiatives during the month of October by hosting five junior athletes anti-doping education workshops across the island.

The first in the series of anti-doping education workshops targeting junior athletes and their support personnel was held in Kingston at the Jamaica Conference Centre (JCC) on October 1.

Participants included students from schools located in eastern Jamaica, from the parishes of St Thomas, Kingston and St Andrew.

Carey Brown, Executive Director of JADCO, reminded the athletes that there is a heavy price to pay for using banned substances and breaking Anti-Doping Rules.

“There are serious health consequences and a doping ban will affect your career negatively,” he said. He further added, “You need to arm yourselves with all the relevant information to ensure you make the right decisions. You are young, impressionable sportsmen and women and if you cultivate the correct habits from now, it will be easier to sustain when sport becomes your life’s work.”

He pointed out that at the last series of junior athletes’ anti-doping education workshops, which the commission hosted in February and March of this year, there were several questions related to nutrition. “Therefore, we have now partnered with the Jamaica Association of Professionals in Nutrition and Dietetics (JAPINAD), to provide you with the information you need to make informed decisions,” he stated.

As a result, the anti-doping education workshop at the Jamaica Conference Centre included a module on Nutrition for Athletes, which was delivered by Rasheed Perry, a representative from JAPINAD.

Dr Paula Dawson, medical practitioner, presented a segment on banned substances and participants were also informed about the role of the commission, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the doping control process.

JADCO also used the occasion to launch its Mascot Competition for secondary school students. They will be required to design a mascot for use in the commission’s promotional activities and the winner and runners-up will be rewarded with cash prizes. Entries will close o n January 16, 2015.

The commission will host four additional workshops during the month of October at GC Foster College, St Catherine, on Wednesday, October 8; STETHS, St Elizabeth, on Wednesday, October 15; The Wexford Hotel, St James, on Wednesday, October 22, and at the Port Maria Civic Centre, St Mary, on Wednesday, October 29.