Tokyo 2020: Okagbare suspended from Olympics over doping suspicion

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Nigerian sprinter, Blessing Okagbare, has been suspended from the ongoing Tokyo Olympics on the suspicion of doping.

Just two days after 10 Team Nigeria athletes were disqualified for not undergoing enough out-of-competition doping tests, the country’s biggest track and field star has been ruled out from further participating in the Games by the Athletics Integrity Unit of World Athletics.

“The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has provisionally suspended Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria today with immediate effect after a sample collected from the sprinter tested positive for Human Growth Hormone,” the AIU announced in the early hours of Saturday.

“Growth Hormone is a non-specified substance on the 2021 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List and a provisional suspension is mandatory following an adverse analytical finding for such substance under the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules.”

The AIU explained that it collected the sample from Okagbare during an out-of-competition test on 19 July, just four days before the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics.

“The WADA-accredited laboratory that analysed the sample notified the AIU of the adverse analytical finding at mid-day Central European Time yesterday, Friday 30 July,” the AIU further clarified.

“The athlete was notified of the adverse analytical finding and her provisional suspension this morning in Tokyo. She was scheduled to participate in the semi-finals of the women’s 100m this evening.

“The AIU will make no further comment on this matter at this time.”

Okagbare, 32, long jump silver medallist at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, won her heat in 11.05 seconds on Friday and qualified for her third consecutive 100m Olympics semi-final, which she was due to participate in later on Saturday.

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