Victor Conte, founder of Balco Laboratories, reportedly went to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in December 2007 and raised doubts about the legitimacy of Caribbean sprint success, especially as it regards Jamaica.  This according to a report by the Los Angeles Times on Saturday.

Conte's grouse, according to the Times is that Caribbean nations lack an independent, state-run anti-doping body and therefore their athletes are not supervised effectively. 

The LA Times quoted Conte as saying this week: "To see the fastest people in the world coming from one island (Jamaica), I'm highly suspicious. I believe there's rampant use of performance-enhancing drugs in the Caribbean."

Jamaica has the fastest man in the world for 2008 in both the 100m and 200m, four of the top six in the womens' 100m as well as the four fastest women in 2008 for 200 meters.    The previous world record holder for the men's 100m is Jamaican and the island also produced the fastest women in the world for 2006 (Sherone Simpson) and 2007 (Veronica Campbell).

Conte reportedly stated that there is illicit behaviour and that Jamaican athletes use "duck and dodge" tactics to avoid drug testers.

The BBC website recently ran a report on doping in athletics and Adrian Lorde, head of the Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organisation (RADO), stated his concerns about the amount of drug testing done in Jamaica, which is not a member of the organization.

"I would like to think they do that testing there but I really don't know. I am concerned they don't have the programme in place they should have based on the amount of success they have," the BBC quoted Lorde as saying.

Jamaican officials have reponded to the allusions by highlighting the fact that its top athletes are routinely tested at meets around the world.

President of the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association, Mike Fennell, has stated "anybody who wants to make comments about our attention to testing, our anti-doping measures are doing that with malicious attempt and are just being bad-minded because we are good.  All our top athletes who are continuously performing abroad are tested every time they compete in these big meets abroad."

Dr. Herb Elliot, a Jamaican member of the IAAF's Medical and Anti-Doping Commission and top enforcement official in the country, told the Christian Science Monitor last month, "We are far in advance of the U.S. record for [preventing] doping. We preach, cajole, and test. . . . Sports is such a part of our culture that the disgrace [of doping] is so great that the Jamaicans that live here wouldn't even consider it."