The world of athletics owes American sprint queen Marion Jones an apology.

Jones was cleared of doping last Wednesday after her 'B' sample tested negative for the banned blood-boosting drug erythropoietin (EPO).

A cloud has been over the American since the Balco scandal following allegations made by people who were close to her but she has always maintained her innocence.

I must say that I was shocked when the news came that she had failed a drug test. The Balco affair meant that she was being watched closely and some European track and field promoters had even banned her because of her previous relationship with controversial coach Trevor Graham.

Extremely foolhardy

It would therefore have been extremely foolhardy for her to be taking banned drugs at this time. Then there was the nature of the drug. An endurance drug, EPO is usually linked with long and middle-distance athletes while steroids are associated with sprinters. So the question had to be asked, why was Jones flirting with EPO?

It is good that she has since been included in the American IAAF World Cup team. Jones has been an outstanding athlete for a very long time and as long as she is found to be clean she must be allowed to compete in all meets like any other athlete. The Jones case now puts a lot of pressure on the International Association of Athletics Federations (AAF) to prevent news of doping tests being leaked after the result of the 'A' test is known.

Stopping the leaks

President Lamine Diack has said that his association will work to stop these leaks and it is hoped that he will be successful. In an era of professionalism, an athlete stands to lose thousands of dollars while his or her good name will also be sent down the drain. Jones, for example, was forced to withdraw from a lucrative meet in Europe following news that her 'A' sample had tested positive. If there had been no leak, then she would have competed and the issue would not have arisen as both the 'A' and 'B' sample have to be positive before an athlete can truly be said to have failed a drugs test.

Woeful Windies

The West Indies continue to disappoint their fans. The regional team gave a truly woeful performance yesterday in the opening game of the Tri-series in Malaysia.

Openers Shiv Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle laid the perfect platform, hitting the Australian bowlers to all parts of the field and over the boundary but the middle order just could not capitalise. Chasing scores of 270 and up is not easy but the foundation was there and there is no excuse for the dramatic collapse by the middle and lower-order batsmen. Following the dismissals of Gyle and Chanderpaul, the rest of the batsmen should have put their heads down and ensured a memorable victory.

Next year's ICC World Cup in the West Indies will be played in conditions which the players will find more comfortable but performances like yesterday will not inspire confidence as far as regional fans are concerned. Captain Brian Lara and vice- captain Ramnaresh Sarwan are the two most experienced men after the openers but they were dismissed cheaply. After that it was just a matter of time as the Australians turned on the pressure.

It is hoped that the West Indies will have learnt from their mistakes and will put up an improved performance when they meet India tomorrow.