Nigerian athlete Blessing Okagbare gets 10-year ban for doping

By Selcuk Bugra Gokalp

ANKARA (AA) - The Disciplinary Tribunal of the Athletics Integrity Unit (AUI) banned Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare on Friday for 10 years due to multiple breaches of anti-doping rules.

The decade-long ban comprises five years for the presence and use of multiple prohibited substances and five years for Okagbare's refusal to cooperate with the AIU's investigation into her case.

AIU head Brett Clothier welcomed the tribunal's decision, saying that it sent "a strong message against intentional and coordinated attempts to cheat at the very highest level of our sport."

Okagbare was ruled out from the women's 100 meters semifinals at the Tokyo Olympics last year after failing a drug test in July 2021.

The 33-year-old had bagged a silver medal in the women's long jump at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

She also got a gold medal in the women's 4x200 meters relay at the 2015 IAAF World Relays.