KINGSTON, Jamaica _ Jamaica plans to strengthen its anti-doping legislation ahead of the Beijing Olympics in August.
"(The legislation) is a very comprehensive one and we hope to get it through (parliament) before the end of March," government medical officer Dr. Herbert Elliott said Sunday in a statement.
Elliott said that an anti-doping unit will be set up in the sports ministry, and Jamaica will establish bilateral arrangements with countries where athletes are based.
"Our athletes, while on the road, will be tested," Elliott said. "And if they violate the rules, the appropriate sanctions will take place."
Elliott also announced the creation of a commission - made up of representatives from several ministries - to keep banned substances out of the Caribbean country.
"I know of no doctor in Jamaica who so far has ever given an anabolic steroid injection to any of our athletes, and this is very commendable for a profession that elsewhere has sold its soul for big money," Elliott said.
