Athletics
Okpekpe Road Race Adopts Full Doping Control
There will be full doping control when the fifth edition of the Okpekpe Road Race gets underway in about two weeks from now.
According to a press statement sent to Sports Village Square by the organisers’ spokesman, Dare Esan, provision has been made for a full doping control for the event which the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has classified as the only international competition/road race in Nigeria in 2017.
The race holds at Okpekpe, a village in Edo State of Nigeria. According to the press statement, all tests shall be conducted in accordance with the IAAF anti-doping regulations.
“There will be mandatory and requested tests. The mandatory tests are those that the organisers must conduct at its expense and includes the minimum four that must be done as a bronze label event viz two men and two women as a mixed gender race and of course those that must be conducted in the event a world record or area record is broken”, said Esan who assured of the organisers’ preparedness to ensure a clean competition come Saturday May 13.
“The testing kits needed for effective anti-doping in accordance with IAAF anti-doping rules have arrived.
“We have a doping station built in Okpekpe for the race. This is where the sample collection session will be conducted by doping control officers who have been trained and authorized by the
“Nigeria anti-doping agency is delegated with responsibility for the on-site management of sample collection session.
“We also have Dr Akin Amao, one of Nigeria’s foremost sports medicine practitioners as the chief anti-doping officer for the race.’
“We are ready for the race and those who qualified to be called elite athletes based on the times they have returned in the last 24 months are the ones open to testing.
“Those running for fun or charity are excluded. We have also advised athletes with illnesses or conditions that require the use of medication listed on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List to apply for Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) with the relevant agency before coming for the race”, said Esan.
The Okpekpe international 10km road race is the only road race in Nigeria that is recognised by both the IAAF and Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) because its race course has been measured by an accredited measurer using the approved calibrated method.
The race is organised by Pamodzi Sports Marketing, leaders in sports
marketing and hospitality business in Nigeria.
This year’s race which will hold in Okpekpe, a town in Etsako East
Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. It is located about 25
kilometres northeast of Auchi.
Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan is the winner as the Court of Arbitration for Sports, CAS has rejected the appeals filed by World Athletics and WADA.
The decision confirms the decision taken by the World Athletics disciplinary tribunal finding that Tobi Amusan did not commit any anti-doping rule violation.
Here is the full statement of CAS.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeals filed by
World Athletics (WA) and by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against the decision issued on 17 August 2023 (the Challenged Decision) by the World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal (WADT) in relation to the hurdler Oluwatobiloba (Tobi) Amusan (Nigeria).
Accordingly, the Challenged Decision in which the WADT considered that Tobi Amusan did not violate Rule 2.4 of the WA Anti-Doping Rules (WA ADR) and that no period of ineligibility should be imposed on the Athlete is confirmed.
The Athlete was initially charged with committing an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) under Rule 2.4 WA ADR following three alleged Whereabouts Failures within a 12-month period.
In their respective appeal to CAS, WA and WADA had sought the imposition of a two-year period of ineligibility. The CAS Panel held a hearing on 19 January 2024. Having deliberated, the CAS Panel has issued its decision today dismissing both appeals. The CAS Panel unanimously acknowledged that the Athlete committed two filing failures but did not confirm the existence of a missed test, alleged by WA and WADA, which would have been the third Whereabouts Failure committed within a 12-month
period. Accordingly, the CAS Panel concluded that the Athlete did not commit an ADRV and that the Challenged Decision should be confirmed.
The reasoned award will be published by CAS unless the parties request confidentiality.
Nigeria’s Paris 2024 medal hopeful, Tobi Amusan has been cleared as the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) has dismissed the appeal filed by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the World Athletics.
She is therefore cleared to feature at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Amusan is the 100m hurdles world record holder.
The athlete was charged in July last year with missing three anti-doping tests in 12 months but was cleared of the offence by the Disciplinary Tribunal of the sport’s governing body, World Athletics.
The Integrity Unit of the World Athletics appealed the clearance which has now been dismissed by CAS, the final arbiter in the case.
CAS in its statement remarked that its panel “unanimously acknowledged that the athlete committed two filing failures but did not confirm the existence of a missed test, alleged by WA and WADA, which would have been the third Whereabouts Failure committed within 12 months.”
Amusan set the world record of 12.12 seconds in the world championships in Eugene, Oregon, in July 2022 and went on to win the title.
She finished sixth in the world championships in Budapest last year.
World Athletics’ anti-doping rules say any athlete failing to declare their whereabouts for a doping test on three occasions over 12 months is ineligible to compete for two years.
An elated Nigeria’s 100m hurdles world record holder, Tobi Amusan has thanked God for her success in an appeal filled against her by the Athletics Integrity Unit of the World Athletics.
Had the appeal been upheld, ,Amusan would have has to miss the Paris 2024 Olymoics.
“It’s ALL GOD” Amusan said in an Instagram post alongside the court’s announcement.
Amusan, who broke the world record during her semi-final race at the 2022 world championships, is a hot favourite in her signature event at the Paris Olympics, which begin on July 26.
World Athletics and WADA did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
This is my story: Odegbami on how he is stranded in London
BREAKING! Odegbami stranded in London as saboteurs cause travel chaos in France before Opening Ceremony
Host club at Super Falcons’ Olympic match venue, Bordeaux is bankrupt
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
AIU releases its report on Tobi Amusan
-
Nigerian Football1 week agoI prefer a foreign coach for the Super Eagles, says Amaju
-
Olympics5 days agoBrazilian women train in Zidane’s birthplace ahead of Nigeria Super Falcons clash
-
Premier League1 week agoNigerian-born Man United’s new striker promises creativity and unpredictability to fans
-
Nigerian Football1 week agoOsimhen’s outburst was a moment of madness, says Amaju
-
Olympics6 days agoTeams plan for lack of toilets on Paris opening ceremony barges
-
Olympics9 hours agoThis is my story: Odegbami on how he is stranded in London
-
OBITUARY1 day agoBREAKING! Former Heartland FC owner, Iwuanyanwu, dies at 81
-
Olympics4 days agoSuper Falcons’ opponent, Brazil’s Marta and 3 Africans listed among 10 footballers to watch at Paris 2024