Sports Eight Nigerian Athletes Handed Four-Year Ban Each For Failing Drug Test

The Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, has confirmed that about Eight Nigerian athletes, who won medals at the 2015 edition of the All African Games tested positive to banned drugs, and therefore have been banned.

The athletes involved are Deborah Odeyemi, Chinazom Amadi, Samson Idiata (Athletics) Sunday Ezeh (Para-athletics), Thomas Kure (Para-powerlifting) Patience Opuene (Wrestling) and James Igbadiwei.

Honourable Dalung said this was necessary in the fight against anti-doping in the sport, adding that more stringent measures must be put up to avoid embarrassment at the forth coming 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil.

The athletes were said to have tested positive at the 2015 All Africa Games held in Congo. They have been placed on a four-year ban each. The eighth athlete, a weightlifter, Elizabeth Owuah, was banned for eight years.

The Minister of Youth and Sport, Solomon Dalung, revealed this on Thursday.

Dalung, who spoke with journalists at the National Stadium, Abuja after a meeting with the Executive Committee of the Nigeria Olympics Committee, said, “Concerning the news that is in public domain that some of our athletes tested positive, it is true. About five medallists have been indicted and tested positive and that takes us to why we are meeting here because we want to intensify advocacy on the issue of anti-doping.

“It is very important to do more advocacy on doping in sports so that when we get to Rio we will not have these instances again.” Punch
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