Marion Jones Facing a Suspension : Track and field: Sprinter misses random drug test because of communication problem, mother says.

Marion Jones of Thousand Oaks High, a national-class sprinter who finished fourth in the 200 meters and fifth in the 100 at last year’s U.S. Olympic trials, missed a random drug test administered by The Athletics Congress last September and could be suspended from international and national championship track competition for four years.

TAC, which changed its name to USA Track & Field last month, sent a letter to Jones in September, informing her that she was required to undergo a random drug test within 48 hours of being notified.

Jones, who has signed a national letter of intent to run track and play basketball for North Carolina, never received the letter, according to her mother, Marion Toler.

Toler said that Jones, 17, received a letter from TAC two weeks after the first one was reportedly sent, asking her why she had not been tested.

“We never received a letter requesting that she undergo a test,” Toler said. “We had no knowledge of a test until we received the second letter.”

Because of mail problems in the past, all of Jones’ mail is sent to Elliott Mason, her personal coach since last season and a counselor at L.A. Harbor College.

Apparently, someone at Harbor signed for the letter requesting that Jones undergo a test, but Mason never received the letter, according to Toler.

Mason could not be reached for comment.

Under TAC rules, an athlete must undergo a random drug test within 48 hours of being notified or be subject to a four-year suspension.

Because Jones failed to do that, she could be suspended, although USATF spokesman Pete Cava said Sunday that he has no knowledge of a suspension.

“I really can’t comment on the specifics of any case,” Cava said. “But I think that if she had been suspended, I would have known about it and I haven’t heard anything.”

Toler said that she has been in close contact with USATF officials regarding the situation since September, and that Jones took a test in November.

“I was told this was all going to be handled in a confidential manner,” she said. “Until now, this was not something that Marion and I were going to get upset about. She has done nothing wrong.”

If Jones is suspended, she could apply for an arbitration hearing and the suspension could be dropped, based on the evidence presented.

Even if Jones is suspended, she is eligible to compete in high school track meets this season.

The suspension would not affect her eligibility at the NCAA level, but it would prevent her from competing in invitational meets or in the USATF championships, and it would prevent her from representing the United States at the international level.

Jones, three-time defending high school state champion in the 100 and 200, is not the first athlete to miss a random drug test because of an apparent communication breakdown.

Kathy Franey, a national-class distance runner, was suspended for four years in 1991 after failing to show up for a random drug test within the 48-hour period.

TAC reinstated her when it was discovered during an arbitration hearing that a family member signed for the notification letter, but that Franey did not receive it until after the 48-hour deadline passed.

“This is just another example of how unorganized USA Track & Field is when it comes to testing,” Toler said. “Marion is not the first athlete that this has happened to, and she will not be the last as long as they continue to do this in this manner.”

Times staff writer Randy Harvey contributed to this story.