FOLLOWING the recent controversy in Berlin that was triggered by the non-appearance of six members from the MVP track club at a scheduled training camp for athletes selected to represent the country at the World Championships, the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA) says it will review its policies pertaining to camps for world events.

"We are hoping the difficulties we faced this year, following up on last year in Beijing, will be minimised and we are trying to see how best we can do two things," noted Howard Aris, the JAAA president at a press conference yesterday.

"One is continue to interact with athletes and coaches to seek common ground, as we did on this occasion by speaking to coach (Glen) Mills and coach (Stephen) Francis and Don Quarrie. We will continue that," Aris stated.

"And we also would want to hope that the rules of the JAAA will be respected, and if there are difficulties, we have mechanisms available to deal with them without making them a public spectacle."

Withdrawn from team

The six MVP athletes - Asafa Powell, Brigitte Foster-Hylton, Shericka Williams, Shelly-Ann Fraser, Melaine Walker and Kaliese Spencer - were withdrawn from Jamaica's team at the championships, then reinstated following the intervention of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

The JAAA had withdrawn the competitors because they did not attend a pre-Championships camp, which was held in Berlin.

The JAAA says the camp was mandatory.

Aris said the IAAF, through its president, Senegalese Lamine Diack, had asked the JAAA to reconsider its decision in the interest of the Championships.

According to Aris, Diack said he was aware that the other Jamaican athletes who attended the camp would be upset and he (Diack) went directly to speak with them.

"We were satisfied that the argument put forward by President Diack to allow the athletes to compete and not to use the World Championships, I am quoting him, 'as a means for sanction'," Aris pointed out.

Aris also said the absence of the athletes from the camp could have sent the wrong signal to the IAAF, as his association had earlier informed them that all athletes would attend the camp.

According to documents produced by the JAAA, the IAAF had asked for the whereabouts of all selected athletes, accommodation address, list of athletes attending, dates of arrival and departure for all athletes, training facility to be used and contact phone numbers for team management.

The JAAA complied with the names of all athletes, but added a note:

It read: "Please note that athletes Allodin Fothergill, Lansford Spence, Yohan Blake and Sheri-Ann Brooks are pending and will not be present at the camp in Nuremberg from August 6-11 ..."

Marvin Anderson, the fifth person accused of doping violation, had already been withdrawn because he had an injury.

Aris reiterated that the athletes who missed the camp could still face sanctions, noting that the management report is normally due to reach the JAAA executive within two to three weeks upon return to Jamaica.

Disciplinary panel

"Once it (report) goes to the executive, the executive will take a decision and if it is necessary for it to go to the disciplinary panel it will then go."

Former Jamaica Chief Justice, Lensley Wolfe will chair the disciplinary panel, which includes former Attorney General and Queen's Counsel Winston Spaulding, and former Chief of Staff of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), Major General John Simmonds.

Aris was asked about possible sanctions for Veronica Campbell-Brown, who did not run in the 4x100m relay final, despite being selected. He said he could not comment as the management report is yet to reach the executive.