By The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has slammed Nigerian sprinter, Blessing Okagbare with a 10-year ban for multiple breaches of anti-doping rules.
Recall that Okagbare, who has an Olympic silver medal in the long jump from the 2008 Beijing Games, was provisionally suspended before the 100 metres semi-finals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics last year.
In a statement on Friday, the AIU said the sole arbitrator adjudicating the case concluded that Okagbare’s “use of multiple prohibited substances” was “part of an organised doping regimen in the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympic Games.”
Unfortunately for the Nigerian athlete, her conduct which the AIU described as “egregious” led to an increase in the normal four-year sanction.
Though the 33-year-old had denied all charges, she bagged a five-year ban for returning doping tests positive for EPO as well as Human Growth Hormone. She was then handed an additional five-year ban for refusing to cooperate with an AIU investigation.
“We welcome the decision of the Disciplinary Tribunal. A ban of 10 years is a strong message against intentional and coordinated attempts to cheat at the very highest level of our sport.
“This is an outcome that was driven by our intelligence-led target testing as well as our commitment to investigate the circumstances behind a positive test,” AIU chief Brett Clothier said in the statement.
