TTOC boss throws support behind sprinter Ahye

TT Olympic Committee president Brian Lewis expressed confidence that national sprinter Michelle-Lee Ahye will be cleared of any wrongdoing and believes in letting the process take its course.

On Thursday, Commonwealth Games 100-metre champion Ahye was provisionally suspended by the world track and field governing body IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation) for "Whereabouts Failures".

The 27-year-old Ahye will now miss the IAAF World Championships, scheduled from September 27-October 6 in Doha, Qatar.

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules require athletes to submit their whereabouts for one hour every day, plus overnight accommodation and training information, in case they are needed for out-of-competition testing.

The NAAATT (National Association of Athletics Administrations of TT) issued a statement indicating that Ahye was charged with a combination of three missed tests and/or filing failures, as defined in the international standard for testing and investigations, within the 12-month period beginning on 23 June 2018.

The missed tests and/or filing failures, according to the charge, occurred on June 23, 2018, February 23, and April 19.

Lewis said, "Michelle-Lee Ahye has passed numerous tests on a number of occasions and because of her standing in the world of track and field she is regularly tested and I am confident that she will overcome... and I am confident that she will be vindicated."

Lewis urged people to trust the process. "People are always so quick to rush to judgement and jump to conclusions. The due process must take its course. The whole issue of whereabouts sometimes can be administrative hiccup. It is serious, but generally and usually it is really about the athlete's support team helping and assisting the athlete to make sure that the whereabouts process is updated and that specific attention is paid to it."

The TTOC president said the the local committee will continue educating the athletes of the rules in the sport. "From the TT Olympic Committee perspective I think it is very important that the Olympic Committee continues and deepens and intensifies its education and awareness process.

"(This will) make sure our athletes and the team TTO athletes are fully aware of the required processes and the importance of ensuring that the processes such as the whereabouts forms (are completed), that your agents and managers and whoever is your support team that they pay particular attention to it."

He reiterated, "Due process will take its course in this case and as always I remain confident and I know that our athletes take very seriously their obligation to clean sport and to ensuring that they comply with all the requirements of the WADA code."