JADCO withdraws appeal against Andre Russell for longer doping ban

JADCO withdraws appeal against Andre Russell for longer doping ban

The Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) has dropped an appeal against the one-year ban imposed on West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell on Monday. The commission had been seeking to extend it to two years. The decision on whether Russell should serve longer ban for breaching the whereabouts rule now rests with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), according to JADCO. It is notable that Russell had been banned for one year from cricket for a whereabouts clause violation by an independent anti-doping panel in Kingston in January this year, forcing him to miss the Pakistan Super League (PSL) as well as Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017 in addition to West Indies’ assignments.

“WADA has the right to take the matter elsewhere,” JADCO Chairman Alexander Williams told a media conference in Kingston. “That is up to them,” Williams said JADCO had been in discussions with Jamaica’s Attorney General Marlene Malahoo Forte about the issue before the decision was made on May 5 to drop the appeal.

“We would have to explain to WADA the reasons for the appeal being withdrawn and I believe we are comfortable in our explanation,” Alexander further said while adding WADA could still take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The 29-year-old Russell was given a one-year ban on January 31 this year and it will be effective till January 30, 2018. He was banned after he failed to file the necessary paperwork on his availability for drug testing three times in 2015, which constituted a failed test according to WADA rules.