Nigeria’s Olympic sprinter and 2008 long jump silver medallist, Blessing Okagbare has been banned for 10 years for doping.
The disciplinary tribunal of the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced this in a statement on Friday.
According to the AIU, Okagbare got a five-year ban for the presence and use of multiple prohibited substances and another five for her refusal to cooperate with the body’s investigation of her case.
The former Commonwealth Games gold medallist had won her first-round heat of the women’s 100 metres event at last year’s Olympics before being suspended indefinitely after the AIU reported that she had tested positive for human growth hormone (hGH) and a blood-booster recombinant erythropoietin (EPO)).
She was thereafter slammed with three separate anti-doping charges by the body in October 2021.
In January 2022, the US department of justice had also linked Okagbare to Eric Lira, a self-acclaimed kinesiologist and naturopathic doctor, who allegedly provided performance-enhancing drugs to athletes who participated at the Tokyo Olympics.
In the statement on Friday, Brett Clothier, head of the AIU, said the 10-year ban was a strong message against intentional and co-ordinated attempts to cheat at the very highest level of sports.
Okagbare has the right to appeal against the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CaS) within 30 days.
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