by RBR AdminBlessing Okagbare, one of Nigeria’s finest athletes, was named by the Athletics Integity Unit to be provisionally suspended on July 31, just hours before she was run the semi final of the 100 meters.
AIU has now, as noted below charges Ms. Okagbare on 3 separate matters.
The charges are listed and described below…
Blessing Okagbare, photo by ConnectNigeria.com
ATHLETICS INTEGRITY UNIT ISSUES CHARGES AGAINST NIGERIAN SPRINTER BLESSING OKAGBARE IN RELATION TO THREE DISCIPLINARY MATTERS
07 OCTOBER 2021, MONACO: The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has issued charges against Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare in relation to three separate disciplinary matters.
The athlete has been charged with the presence and use of a prohibited substance following the detection of Human Growth Hormone in a sample collected out-of-competition on 19th July in Slovakia and reported to the AIU on 30th July. This matter was publicly announced on 31st July when Ms Okagbare was provisionally suspended. She had been scheduled to participate in the semi-finals of the Toko 2020 women’s 100m that day.
The athlete has also been charged with the presence and use of a prohibited substance following the detection of recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) in a sample collected out-of-competition on 20th June in Nigeria. The AIU requested EPO analysis be conducted on the sample on 29th July and the adverse analytical finding was reported to the AIU on 12th August. Ms Okagbare was notified of the adverse analytical finding on 20th August.
Human Growth Hormone and EPO are non-specified substances on the 2021 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List. A provisional suspension is mandatory following an adverse analytical finding for such a substance under the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules and the athlete remains provisionally suspended.
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About the Athletics Integrity Unit
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is the independent body created by the World Athletics that manages all integrity issues – both doping and non-doping – for the sport of athletics. The remit of the AIU includes anti-doping, the pursuit of individuals engaged in age or competition results manipulation, investigating fraudulent behaviour with regards to transfers of allegiance, and detecting other misconduct including bribery and breaches of betting rules. It is the AIU’s role to drive cheats out of our sport, and to do everything within its power to support honest athletes around the world who dedicate their lives to reaching their sporting goals through dedication and hard work.
Athletics Integrity Unit
