Nigerian sprinter, Blessing Okagbare has been banned for 10 years for doping, by the Athletics Integrity Unit.
The AIU disclosed this in a statement, Today.
It said that the athlete’s use of multiple prohibited substances as part of an organised doping regimen in the lead up to the Tokyo Olympic Games was egregious conduct that amounted to aggravating circumstances under the Rules thereby warranting an additional period of ineligibility on top of the standard four-year sanction.
“We welcome the decision of the Disciplinary Tribunal; a ban of 10-year is a strong message against intentional and co-ordinated 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,” Brett Clothier, Head of the AIU, said.
Okagbare was expelled from the Tokyo Olympics last year before the women’s 100m semi-finals after testing positive for human growth hormone.
