07/30/2021 11:40 PM
Clarín.com
sports
Updated 07/30/2021 11:40 PM
The Nigerian sprinter
Blessing Okagbare
, one of the theoretical "outsiders" for the final of 100 meters of the Olympic Games that takes place in the Argentine morning of this Friday, was
suspended for doping after a positive control for growth hormone
, indicated the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
Okagbare (32), the 2008 Olympic long jump runner-up,
was controlled out of competition on July 19.
She is the first athlete declared positive
during the Olympic period of these Tokyo 2020 Games.
"The
Athletics Integrity Unit
(AIU) provisionally suspended Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria with immediate effect following a positive result for growth hormone in a sample (...) The AIU took Okagbare's sample in an out-of-competition test on July 19, "the AIU wrote in a statement.
Asked by the AFP agency, the athletics anti-doping body did not wish to specify whether the test had been carried out in Japan or in another country.
Technically, if the sample was taken by the AIU,
it could not be in an Olympic facility
, since there the responsibility lies with the ITA (International Control Agency).
Blessing Okagbare.
Photo Giuseppe CACACE / AFP
Growth hormone is within the group of
"unspecified substances"
in the list of prohibited substances of 2021 prepared by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA, according to the acronym in English).
In the case of these substances, the provisional suspension is "mandatory" when an
"adverse analytical" is found
, as the positive is officially called in an anti-doping control.
The WADA-accredited laboratory that analyzed the sample notified the AIU of the finding on Friday, July 30.
Blessing Okagbare was due to participate this Saturday at 7.15pm local (7.15am in Argentina)
in the 100m semifinals
, whose final is scheduled for 9.50am in our country, after having won his series on Friday (11.05).
The Nigerian is the
seventh best of the season
in the straight line (10s89 on July 6).
She is also the African record holder in the 200 meters (22s04 in 2018).
From "high risk" to complaints
Blessing Okagbare's triumph in the Japanese Friday heat.
AP Photo / Petr David Josek
On Thursday, Nigeria had seen
ten of its 23 athletes
selected for the Games in this sport
banned from
participation in the event
because they did not comply with the standards of
anti-doping
controls
outside of competition.
Nigeria, which is one of the countries considered "high risk" by the AIU, must submit to supplementary obligations.
"The sports system in Nigeria
is totally flawed
and we athletes are always the
collateral victims
," Okagbare had lamented yesterday on his Twitter account.
The sprinter is part of a very high level group based in Florida (USA) and trained by the American
Rana Reider
, which includes some favorites of the men's 100 meters like the American
Trayvon Bromel
l and the Canadian
Andre de Grasse
.
AFP
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