As the Paris Olympics 2024 is drawing to a close, the trial events and qualifying tournaments keep intensifying. The eagerly waiting athletes have started to step into the competitive zones of sports where even a minuscule error may land them in a disqualification zone. With a firm urge to find the name on the selected list, several athletes have tried to indulge in questionable affairs.

The watchdog authority, Athletics Integrity Unit’s March report, sent a shock wave among the track and field community from this perspective. In its monthly suspension list of athletes, a Jamaican athlete has found herself charged with anti-doping laws, among a doyen others. With the active stringent rules, the athlete’s Paris Olympics 2024 dream is on the brink of being shattered. 

A Jamaican possibility looming under gloomy portents and dark clouds

As Kaynon Raynor updated on X on April 2, the former world indoor champion Tiffany James has faced suspension under the anti-doping rules. However, in the published March report from AIU, she is one among the other 21 athletes who have suffered the same fate. The similarity is that almost everyone will miss the Olympic Games in the French capital because of the imposed suspension. However, the larger chunk of the banned athletes belongs to Nigeria. Tiffany James is the only Jamaican athlete to make  it on the list. However, subsequently, the reason for her suspension has also come to the fore. 

As per the available reports, Tiffany was unavailable in the last 12/months’ period when three doping tests were necessary. Moreover, in the allowed period the 2x World Championship medalist failed to inform her whereabouts to the authorities. Those factors triggered the AIU to hand her the suspension ruling. 

Tiffany’s suspension time will continue until 2025, starting from 2023. In her defense, the 27-year-old athlete claimed, “This all happened at a time when I had to make emergency trips to neighboring states for personal health reasons, and unfortunately, on both occasions, my portal was not updated on time, leading to one missed test prior to this last incident.” However, AIU has vowed to make the Paris Olympics 2024 cleaner. In this attempt, they have imposed several rules. 

The Paris Olympics 2024 will not favor malpractices 

In its March 11 circular, the AIU informed that World Athletics accepted its new proposal to shave off the doping scare. In its proposal, the AIU suggested more stringent testing policies for athletes from Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and Portugal. 

The official statement narrates, “The four federations received clear warnings from the AIU about the insufficiency of their national testing programmes after the World Athletics Championships 2022 in Eugene…All four failed to ensure that there was proportionate OOC testing for their teams at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.” Moreover, AIU has tried to make this as a warning to all the Olympic member nations. 

In his argument, AIU chief David Howman explained the necessity for it as “ensuring a level playing field for athletes.” So, followers might expect many more names on the suspension list in the coming days. 

Read more: Paris Olympics 2024: After Russia Ban, Countries That Suffered the Same Fate by IOC