Nigerian relay women's team barred from World Athletics Championship after Okagbare's ban is extended

NIGERIA will not be allowed to participate in the women's 4x100 relay event at forthcoming World Athletics Championships taking place in Oregon next month after Blessing Okagbare got an additional one year doping ban that has affected the entire team.

Okagbare, 33, who has an Olympic silver medal in the long jump from the 2008 Beijing Games, was handed a 10 year ban in February after being found guilty of a drugs test failure. Yesterday, another year was added to her sentence by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for evading sample collection and tampering or attempted tampering with the doping control process.

This decision means Nigeria has lost the opportunity to field a ladies team for the women’s 4x100m relay at next month’s World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA. According to the AIU, this is because six days after Okagbare evaded sample collection on June 13 2021, she competed in the 4x100m relay event at the Nigeria Olympic Trials, with her relay squad qualifying for this year’s world championships.

As a result, all individual and relay results involving Okagbare, from 13 June 2021, are now disqualified under the rules. Okagbare was originally suspended on July 31, 2021 from the semi finals of the women’s 100m of the last Olympic Games in Tokyo after she tested positive for using human growth hormones.

Further investigation of the case by FBI revealed that Okagbare was involved in an orchestrated doping plot involving a US-based naturopathic therapist Eric Lira. Following further investigations, the United States Department of Justice under the Rodchenkov Act picked Mr Lira for his involvement in the supply of performance-enhancing drugs to athletes.

Okagbare’s telephone exchanges with Mr Lira were obtained by the FBI. Initial plans to prosecute her for criminal offences were later dropped by the US  Justice Department but this lengthy ban has effectively ended her illustrious track and field career.