Martina warns JAAA of medical exemption

European 100m champion Churandy Martina of The Netherlands is cautioning the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), that the current policy of allowing athletes to skip the national trials to select the country's teams to major championships on the basis of a medical exemption might come back to haunt them.

Reigning Olympic 100m and 200m champion, Usain Bolt, was one of four athletes who requested and were granted medical exemptions at Jamaica's recent national senior trials. The others were sprinter Elaine Thompson, 100m hurdler Hansle Parchment and 400m hurdler Janieve Russell.

While stating that he has no issue with the likes of Bolt using the medical exemption at his disposal, if genuinely injured, Martina is warning that a situation might arise in the future where none of the top three finishers on the day in a particular event will go on to represent the country at the championships for which the trials was held.

"Let's say in another year three of the best athletes in the ranking don't participate at the nationals and use medical exemptions and then the other athletes that run and make 1,2 and 3; what are you going to tell all of them? That you can't go because the other there athletes used the medical exemption?, Martina questioned.

"They have to watch that because athletes are going to use it. They obey the rules when it's against them and when it is in their favour they are going to use it too."

Based on the current rules athletes who are ranked in the top three in the world for an event and are injured or ill at the time of the National Championships and are granted an exemption from competing may be considered for selection providing that they are able to prove their world ranking form before the submission of the final list.

Martina believes this is a rule that will have to be revisited in the near future or it is likely to cause serious issues.