All of Trinidad and Tobago, and sports fans in particular, are today in two minds over the International Olympic Committee's decision to disqualify Jamaica's 2008 Olympic Games 4x100 men's gold medal winning team.
The decision, if the IOC goes through with the usual protocol, means T&T's team of Keston Bledman, Marc Burns, Emmanuel Callender and Richard Thompson, who finished second in that race at the Bird's Nest in Beijing, China, will be upgraded to gold medallists.
Usually, such achievement would be met with overwhelming euphoria from both the athletes and country, but today both groups are at pains over the fact that while T&T stands to benefit, fellow Caribbean athletes are the ones caught up in this latest drug scandal involving athletes.
In particular is their fear that the legacy of superstar Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt may be blemished due to the actions of teammate Nesta Carter, whose positive test for a banned substance almost a decade after Beijing has led to the action. Bolt had amassed nine gold medals over three Olympics and this decision could reduce that figure by one.
At least two T&T athletes described the situation as bittersweet, especially noting the fact that there is nothing like the honour and glory of seeing one's national flag hoisted and anthem being played after collecting a gold medal on the Olympic podium–an honour bestowed only to the gold medal team as the other countries' anthems are not played.
It is no doubt a let-down for the entire T&T team, but the records will eventually show, again once the IOC goes through with its protocol, that team T&T were the gold medallists at those Games.
But arising out of this scenario comes at least two issues which continue to divide countries which participate in worldwide athletic events–the issue of drug cheats and the treatment of athletes by member associations.
There seems to be some contention over whether the substance found in Carter's system at the time, methylhexaneamine, was indeed a banned performance enhancing substance at the time of the Games. The Carter camp's argument, as they prepare to head to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, is that it was not specifically listed among prohibited substances.
However, the IOC countered that it "fell within the scope of the general prohibition of stimulants having a similar chemical structure or similar biological effect as the listed stimulants."
Sports fans are all too aware of the measures used by athletes and their handlers to give themselves an unfair edge at the highest levels. If indeed Carter used the supplements he claimed to gain a competitive edge, then he should pay the ultimate price and it would be unfortunate that his teammates would have to take the fall with him.
If, however, he can prove his case, the IOC may yet have to rescind its act, which is no doubt why both the T&T Olympic Committee and National Administration for Athletic Associations are holding off on commenting until they get official word of the medal promotion from the IOC.
On another note, in addressing the issue of the possible medal upgrade, Thompson highlighted the continued poor treatment of athletes representing T&T. He revealed that he, no doubt like several other athletes, was forced to use his own money to prepare for last year's Rio Olympics after the elite funding they were promised by the Sport Ministry failed to materialise. Thompson also noted that promises made for financial and other support by the minister last year, after the team was upgraded to silver medallists following a similar disqualification of a team from the London Olympics in 2012, are yet to be acted on.
These are complaints we have grown accustomed to hearing over the various sporting disciplines. Athletes are continually asked to perform with the best in the world while not being given the funding to help them attain these high levels. Succinctly put, the least the Sport Ministry can do is to ensure they give them the resources promised so they will be on an even playing field when they give their all for the red, white and black.
Jamaica's woes therefore, may yet allow T&T another opportunity to put its own athletic house in order.