JERSEY’s Commonwealth Games team will have a full medical support team.

And all the team members are to be made fully aware of their personal liability and the responsibilities relating to drug-free sport, at a meeting next month, when a representative of UKSport will be in the Island to explain the issues.

CGAJ president Martin Hebden said: ‘The ambition of the association, which we hope will be fulfilled, is that this team will be the best-supported and best-prepared ever to compete for Jersey.

‘As well as one team manager for each of the seven sports being represented, lawn bowls and shooting have extra managers.

There’s a ladies and a men’s team manager for bowls, and there’s a manager for each of the three shooting disciplines.

We completely understood the requests for extra managers, because the shooting is held at three different venues.’ And he added that the CGAJ is hoping to secure accreditation for any personal trainers, who may wish to travel with their charges, to ensure they have access to them at the Games.

Hebden said that the medical team travelling will be led by Dr Adam Garnett, who has already made contact with his counterparts in Melbourne to ensure everything will be in place for the team; physiotherapist Morag Obarska and team masseur Nick Hooper.

‘The medical support team will be available to all competitors, who will also have access to Australian physios when we get there.

And if we can get accreditation for any personal trainers who may be travelling with their charges, then we will do so.

They won’t be official members of the Jersey team, but we will be supporting them.

At the moment there’s a possibility that just a few may wish to travel with their charges, but the Association wants to make sure that the team members have all the support they need.

We hope all eventualities will be as well covered as possible.’ In addition to the support from medics and trainers, the Association is holding two team-building days to emphasise the ethos of pride in the Jersey team.

‘We are all getting together for the first time on 15 December, for a couple of hours, for a get-to-know-you session,’ Hebden explained.

It will be at this session that the athletes will be given all the information about drugs testing.

‘Athletes who test positive can no longer use the excuse of “”I didn’t know”" or “”my coach gave it to me”",’ Hebden said.

‘All competitors are liable to testing at any time, from now, right up to, and including, the Games and they need to understand all the implications.’ A second team-building day will be held early in 2006.