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| Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell Photo credit AFP/BBC Sport |
Anyone who
knows me well enough, is aware of the fact that I don't eat pork. For those
who define them otherwise, I also don't eat pig's tail, ham, bacon or sausages
with pork. When I travel abroad if there's a meal choice on a long haul flight
I opt for Hindu or Asian vegetarian. More often than not I simply go full
vegetarian to reduce the issues surrounding special arrangements.
The fact is
though, that I can't stop saying it, I am always placed in situations that
require that I state up front that, "I don't eat pork". It's not
written on my forehead and there's no outward sign of my aversion. Pork is not
my only issue; I'm also allergic to shell fish, so I don't eat shrimps,
prawns, scampi (which almost killed me once), lobsters or crabs. This too must
be established up front, when the occasion warrants it for in the case of the
allergy, it's a matter of life and death.
If you've
got to this paragraph you're probably just about ready to shout, "So
what" or "who cares, what’s the point?" Here goes. The news this
past weekend for track and field watchers locally and internationally was,
well, shocking for most. The vultures are circling with the news of five
Jamaican athletes testing positive for banned substances. The conspiracy theories
abound and fingers are pointing. The Gleaner carried a report that Asafa Powell’s
physical trainer has been arrested in Italy (Italy
police arrest Asafa's physical trainer over banned substance by Leighton Levy
14-7-2013). And the beat goes on.
So let me
connect the dots for you, if I don’t keep saying I don’t eat pork, I can’t
blame anyone if a slice of ham ends up on my plate at Christmas. On this matter
I’m once again inclined to heed the words of sports medicine expert, Dr. Paul
Wright, “local athletes are not paying enough attention to the information
disseminated by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission”, (Sports medicine
expert says Jamaican athletes paying little attention to doping data by Melton
Williams Gleaner 15-7-2013). At this point, I don’t know if Asafa Powell,
Sherone Simpson, Traves Smikle, Allison Randall and even Tyson Gay are drug
cheats, per se. I do know that one swallow of that yummy lobster bisque can
cost me much more than mere discomfort so like me, they must at all times be
vigilant.
“Trust, but verify” –
Ronald Reagan
