Nigeria 4×100 relay team has been thrown out of the 2022 World Athletics championships following extended ban handed to Blessing Okagbare amid her doping controversies.
The Athletics Integrity Unit, AIU of the Word Athletics, WA announced that banned Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare has been found to have committed additional anti-doping rule violations – specifically evading sample collection, and tampering or attempted tampering with the doping control process.
Following additional discovery on Okagbare’s doping violations, the initial 10 years ban slapped on her by AIU has been reviewed and a year added to make it 11 years in total.
As a result of that, Nigeria’s female 4×100 relay quartet has been thrown out of the World Athletics championship as a carryover punishment of Okagbare’s doping violations.
This is because six days after Okagbare evaded sample collection (13 June 2021), she competed in the 4x100m relay event at the Nigeria Olympic Trials, with her relay squad qualifying for this year’s World Championships.
All individual and relay results involving Okagbare, from 13 June 2021, are now disqualified under the rules.
Head of the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), Brett Clothier, is encouraging athletes and entourage to report suspected doping, noting the unscrupulous behaviour of dopers could have damning repercussions for their team-mates and country.
His comments come in the wake of already-banned Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare being found to have committed additional anti-doping rule violations.
“Over the years, we have repeatedly seen how one person’s actions adversely affect team-mates who have trained hard and worked honestly for their results,” noted Clothier.
