Bannister banned for 20 months – because he didn’t have a room number

Australian javelin thrower Jarrod Bannister has been banned for 20 months by the IAAF after missing his third out-of-competition drug test within 18 months, because the hotel he was staying in ahead of the World Championships in Moscow did not know he was there.

The former Commonwealth Champion was staying in Cologne as part of the Australian holding camp, but because of the shared room policy, the hotel staff did not realise he was checked into the same room as team mate Joel Milburn. When the ASADA testers turned up at 6am at the hotel neither did the receptionist know which room Bannister was in, nor did he recall even seeing him in the hotel lobby.

While the testers left and marked in a missed test, Bannister was fast asleep in room 502, unaware of what was happening downstairs.

The javelin thrower who has a PB of 89.02m issued a statement on his website and his Facebook page informing his followers about the situation.

Missing three out of competition tests isn’t unusual, Britain’s Team captain and 400m medal hope for Moscow, Christine Ohuruogu, will probably agree. Ohuruogu, who superbly cruised into the 400m final in Moscow earlier today, missed one test in October 2005 and two in June 2006 which resulted in a one year ban.

While the BOA also imposed a lifetime ban on competing at future Olympic Games, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled against the ban, allowing her to compete in both Beijing and her home Olympics last summer. This year she is leading the British Team into Worlds by example.

The “whereabouts” system used by WADA and national anti-doping agencies has often been criticised by athletes across the globe, because of its intrusion into the athletes’ personal lives. However, it seems a necessity to ensure athletes are tested by surprise, rather than knowing they will be tested at certain competitions on certain days.

With the strict requirements of WADA and the national governing bodies, questions about the efficiency of the Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS) are being raised. Is there a better way for athletes to keep WADA informed about their whereabouts?

In his statement, Bannister raises some vital points to consider:

I respect the award issued by Mr Alan Sullivan SC , naturally I am still deeply disappointed at receiving the period of ineligibility. To safeguard other athletes, especially Australian Athletes I would encourage them to be vigilant when dealing with Athletic Australia(AA) and ASADA and to keep in mind these points :

1. While traveling and being accommodated by Athletics Australia, ask to check the room list daily.
2. Maintain written correspondence with Athletics Australia, never rely on verbal approval.
3. Never take lightly the strict requirements of ASADA, WADA or AA, especially the requirements of the Athlete whereabouts policy.

In the days of smartphones, GPS, location services etc. in phones, an application where athletes could log-in to update their whereabouts and that automatically updates their location at certain times would seem a smart move. Many athletes have complained about having to update their ADAMS diaries because of doctor’s appointments or change in training location – as in the case of Christine Ohuruogu – but the System did not work properly.

With the recent positive tests from Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell we are under the impression that the system is at least kind of working. Yesterday Trinidad and Tobago’s Kelly-Ann Baptiste, 100m World Bronze medallist in 2011, was already on a plane back from Moscow before the first day of the championship had even finished after failing a drugs test in the Russian capital.