Eric Lira, the man at the center of the doping case involving Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria, has admitted guilt to the allegations levied against him by American law enforcement.
According to U.S. authorities, the Texas therapist admitted to providing Olympic competitors with performance-enhancing medications, including the illegal Okagbare, and now faces up to 10 years in prison.
According to a statement from the Department of Justice, El Paso-based naturopathic therapist Eric Lira is the first person to be found guilty under new legislation adopted in the United States in response to Russia’s state-sponsored Olympic doping allegations.
The 2020 statute which was named after the Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov , allows American authorities to bring charges against anybody implicated in worldwide doping fraud networks.
Lira was found to have supplied drugs to Okagbare in the build-up to the Tokyo Olympics which was delayed till 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The once-celebrated queen of the tracks had already made it to the women’s 100m semi-finals before she was expelled from the Tokyo Games and was subsequently banned from competing for 11 years.
As reported by AP, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said on Monday, after Lira pleaded guilty in a federal court in Manhattan, that the case was a watershed moment for international sport.
