After serial violations and several athletes caught in the illicit act, Nigeria is walking a tightrope of a blanket ban from all sporting competitions, GOWON AKPODONOR reports.

The country was recently jolted by the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) referral of Nigeria and Venezuela to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), for allegedly failing to comply with anti-doping measures stipulated for all International Olympic Committee (IOC) member-countries. The implication is that Nigeria now risks a ban from participating at international competitions, if found guilty of violating the WADA protocol.

Simply put, Nigeria will not be allowed to participate in such competitions as the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, African Games, FIFA World Cup, Commonwealth Games and the Basketball World Cup, among others. As it is the case with Russia, Nigerian athletes may be forced to compete as individuals, rather than representatives of the country.

WADA’s independent Compliance Review Committee (CRC) allege the National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs) of Nigeria and Venezuela are non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code (Code).

WADA said the alleged non-compliance in Nigeria’s case was due to the NADO still not addressing several critical requirements to its anti-doping programme following an audit carried out by WADA in late 2022.

Prior to that 21-day deadline, WADA received formal notification from the two NADOs that they disputed the allegations of non-compliance against them, as well as the proposed consequences.

The allegations of non-compliance and the consequences would not take effect until such time as CAS makes its ruling. This is not the first time WADA’s searchlight would be beamed on any country, especially those deemed to be notoriously non-complaint with its protocols.

Shortly after the legendary sprinter, Usain Bolt, burst into limelight at Beijing 2008 Olympics, WADA’s searchlight was beamed on Jamaica, as the Island country became the epicentre of doping-related suspicions, with series of scandals hovering around the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO). It became a source of worry for the entire country.

To save the country and her athletes from international embarrassment, Jamaican government undertook a legislative review of anti-doping law and evaluated JADCO’s governance and management structure. The government also allocated more funds to the fight against doping. That action set Jamaica ‘free,’ giving Usain Bolt and other top Jamaican stars the pathway to continue their dominance in athletics and other sports.

WADA’s suspicion of Nigeria, according to captain of Nigeria’s team to Moscow 1980 Olympics, Hameed Adio, shows that the country’s leaders have not learnt any lesson from the punitive measures against other countries.

“That is the result of treating important issues with kid gloves,” Adio, a veteran broadcaster remarked shortly after the news of WADA threat broke.

Adio, a former Sports Commissioner in Kwara State said: “If we are eventually sanctioned, I can’t imagine the negative psychological effect this will have on the innocent athletes, who have spent several months preparing for these Games.”

Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC) Spokesman, Tony Nezianya, told The Guardian, that everything is being done to ensure the nation’s flag flies in the coming African Games as well as the Paris Olympics.

“We are working on it and I don’t think this WADA issue will stop Nigeria from attending the African Games in Ghana and the Olympics Games in Paris. We have gone through the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), and the court will have to give us some time to sort things out,” Nezianya said.

The President of Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Tonobok Okowa, said that the issue is being handled. “In the first place, I want Nigerians to know that the issue raised by WADA is not about athletics alone, but on all the sports federations. I have received several calls from people asking what AFN is doing about the WADA issue. It is not about athletics alone. The matter is receiving serious attention and I am sure everything will be resolved,” Okowa stated.

Despite Nigeria’s dominance in African Sports and her global recognition in diverse sports at the Olympics and similar events, some of her representatives have been caught in the web of taking unethical steps to ensuring her continuous supremacy over other competitors at regional and global events.

From weightlifting to wrestling, athletics and para-powerlifting, the story is the same.

Nigeria did not compete in weightlifting in the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games because the country was serving a ban placed on her by the International Weightlifting Federation, following related doping violations.

The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports, as well as President of the various sports federations have always preached zero tolerance for doping ahead of major sporting event, but the messages seemed to be like water being splashed on the back of a duck. Nigerian athletes have not been above board in this act of cheating.

At the Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi, three Nigerian runners failed doping tests. Folashade Abugan was stripped of silver medals in the women’s 400 metres and 4×400-metre relay after testing positive for steroid.

Osayomi Oludamola had her gold medal in the 100 metres withdrawn after testing positive for a banned stimulant, and hurdler, Samuel Okon, who did not win a medal, also tested positive.

In 2014, a 16-year-old Nigerian weightlifter, Chika Amalaha, who won and set the record in the women’s 53kg weightlifting event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, was found to have particles of Amiloride and Hydrochlorothiazide, and was stripped of her medal and banned for two years.

In 2012, a 400m runner, Tosin Adeloye at the age of 16, was banned for two years for testing positive to Metenolone, an anabolic steroid at the Lagos National Sports Festival held in Lagos.

A high jumper and gold medallist at the 2015 African Games, Samson Idiata, was stripped of his gold medal for testing positive to clenbuterol.The physically challenged athletes are not left out. A Nigerian para-athlete, Ifeanyichukwu Christian Madubuike, was banned for three years by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) for failing two drugs tests.

Perhaps, one major embarrassing moment many Nigerians will not forget in a hurry was the nation’s shameful experiences at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games. The disqualification of 10 Nigerian athletes at the Games due to non-compliance with WADA rules was a major embarrassment, even for the then Sports Minister, Sunday Dare.

In October, last year, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) handed one of the best Nigerian sprinters, Divine Oduduru, a six-year ban for breaching two anti-doping rules.

Oduduru was sanctioned, alongside former sprinter, Blessing Okagbare, as a collaborator of Lira. Before then in 2022, Okagbare was banned for 11 years following an investigation by AIU after she failed an out-of-competition doping test.

Another Nigerian athlete, Grace Nwokocha, was given a three-year ban in October last year, for using prohibited substances. Nwokocha was a member of the quartet that won gold for Nigeria in the 4×100m race during the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

A few weeks to the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Nigerians were shocked when World Record holder in 100m hurdles, Tobi Amusan was charged for missing a doping test. Shortly after, AIU provisionally suspended her over the charges, adding that the Nigerian missed “three tests in 12 months”.

The decision Interfered with Amusan’s preparation for the World Championships in Budapest. She was not cleared of the charge until three days before the competition.

But in September 2023, AIU announced that it had appealed the decision clearing Amusan of anti-doping. The final decision of that case is still being awaited.

How Nigeria can reduce cases of doping.

An official of the National Anti-Doping agency, who spoke with The Guardian, hinted that although the Federal Government aids in the fight against doping, funding has been a big issue.

“One thing is for a country to prepare its athletes mentally to win laurels at major competitions, another is for the government to provide the funds needed to block some of the loopholes that may bring embarrassment to the country. The fight against doping starts with prevention. There must be available funds by the government to enable the anti-doping agency conduct drug testing among the athletes because doping makes fair competition impossible,” the official said.

According to the official, who pleaded anonymity, doping violates the spirit of fair play, which is inherent in sport. “This is why the fight against doping is first of all the responsibilities of sport itself. The Federal Government is expected to provide a great deal of support for the fight against doping. Fight against doping requires broad participation, from the local track and field clubs to the Olympic federations, as well as policymakers at national and international levels. Everyone is expected to pull together with the same goal, which is: clean and fair sport.”

The war within

Last year, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) suspended Kwara State Athletics Association indefinitely from all its activities following the appearance of a banned Track and Field Coach, Hammid Muritala, at the 2023 AFN Golden League held in Benin, Edo State.

Coach Muri, as he is fondly called, was banned for violating anti-doping rules for a period of 10 years, for allegedly doping a junior athlete, Fatimah Abdul Aziz, at the National Youth Games held in Ilorin, Kwara State in 2021.

Despite his ban, the coach allegedly paraded himself around, coaching track and field stars at athletics competitions with the knowledge of Kwara State Athletics Association.

According to the AFN, “this action also amounts to violation of Rule 2.9 of World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules.’ The AFN says the suspension of Kwara ‘shall remain, pending the outcome of further investigation.’

The Guardian, however, learnt that the suspension placed on Kwara State Athletics Association has since been lifted due to what an official described as ‘procedural error’.

At the just-concluded National Trials in Asaba, Delta State, which was organised by AFN in collaboration with the Making of Champions (MoC) to select athletes to camp in preparation for the African Games in Ghana, a seminar was conducted for the athletes and their coaches on the need to stay away from drugs while competing.

AFN Board member and Director of Competition, Commodore Omatseye Nesiama (rtd), told The Guardian that the federation usually organise such seminars to, among other things, educate the athletes on the dangers associated with the use of drugs.

“There are many upcoming athletes now, and there is the need to educate them on certain issues,” Nesiama said. “Apart from the shame associated with doping at major competitions, blood doping can cause an increased risk of heart failure, stroke, kidney damage, high blood pressure, infections, poisoning, overloading of your white cells, reduction of platelet count and problems with the circulatory system.

“As with any injectable drug, using a syringe to dope increases the risk for contracting infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. Doping weakens the immune system and reduces memory (especially the intake of Narcotics). Steroids decreases sperm calculations,” he said.

The head of the Nigeria’s National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO), Prof. Ken. Anugweje, prefers to see the issues raised by WADA resolved than making public statements.

Anugweje, who is also the Director of Sports Institute at the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said in a message to SportsVillageSquare that he won’t make any comment since the WADA/Nigeria dispute is at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. (The Guardian)

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