President of the National Association of Athletics Administration (NAAA), Ephraim Serrette feels that the problem of doping in athletics will never be completely removed regardless of the measures put in place by the governing bodies around the world.
Serrette was speaking in reference to Nigerian sprinters Osayomi Oludamola and Samuel Okon, who both tested positive for the banned stimulant Methylexanemine at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi this week. Osayomi was stripped of her gold medal in the Women's 100m while Okon placed sixth in the Men's 110-meter hurdles final. "The IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) is trying all that it can but the problem is not something that's going to go away just like that," he said.
Serrette pointed out that the NAAA took the issue very seriously and was doing everything possible to educate young athletes about drugs in sports. "We have cooperated as much as we can with the World Anti-Doping Agency and we have put several measures in place," he said. "We conduct seminars for young athletes and facilitate testing at our local championships. We let all of our athletes know from early on that they have to make themselves available."
In May 2009, T&T's 400m specialist Ato Mobido tested positive for Oxandrolone, Stanozolol and Tamoxifen and was banned from competition for two years as a result. Serrette said that it was the association's responsibility to prevent such an incident from ever happening again in the future.