Despite qualifying for the Paris Olympics, Jamaican hammer throw athlete Nayoka Clunis found her Olympics shattered. So she appealed to the ad hoc Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to find a remedy. However, since the CAS ad hoc division responded by saying they couldn’t help, JAAA has emerged as her last hope to compete in Paris.

The CAS ad hoc division’s statement explained they couldn’t “entertain” Clunis’ application as it was filed outside its jurisdiction. After learning about the CAS official statement, JAAA released one of its own. Jamaica’s governing track and field body revealed that they had “petitioned World Athletics.”  

Unfortunately, their attempts to include Nayoka Clunis in the list of participating athletes have been in vain. However, JAAA isn’t giving up. “We are deeply saddened that this situation continues and are making every effort in the hope that World Athletics and the IOC will find a way to enable Ms. Clunis to compete in the Olympics,” the JAAA wrote in their statement.

So what resulted in this messy situation? According to the 4x national champion, the JAAA made an administrative oversight by accidentally omitting her name. The governing body then submitted a list of 31 participating athletes to World Athletics. Since the list should’ve contained 32 names, WA awarded the vacant quota to Ukranian Iryna Klymets.

Nayoka Clunis sought CAS’s help to rectify this mistake. However, the IOC and WA contested the application. They argued that the dispute had originated before the 10-day window until Paris. On July 20th the CAS gave their verdict through videoconference. Since WA confirmed the list on July 5th and the JAAA sought rectification on 6th July, the IOC and WA’s objection held true. Now the track and field national champion is back to square one.

Time is running out for Nayoka Clunis

Sometimes the most innocent mistake can have dire results. Nothing could be more true for the Jamaican as a simple omission has resulted in an international dispute. Yet somehow, the CAS, JAAA, IOC, and WA’s involvement has not resulted in a positive resolution. With 4 days left until the opening ceremony, the future looks bleak for the Olympic-qualified athlete.

Nayoka Clunis publicly addressed the situation on Instagram on 11th July. “I have been assured that all possible remedies are being explored and that there is hope that this issue may soon be resolved… I am a proud Jamaican. To wear our Nation’s colors at the Olympic Games will be the pinnacle of my athletic career,” wrote Clunis. However, hope and time are running out.

The track and field athlete has remained silent since the CAS hearing on July 20th. Although JAAA hasn’t given up, it’s difficult to say if they’ll find a solution as the ultimate decision lies with the IOC.