Following the failure of one of the quartet sprinsters to pass the doping test carried out on them, Nigeria may be stripped of women’s 4x100m gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The move would be in concurrence with the rule that anyone found guilty in the doping test is to be disqualified from the game.
The winners of the four gold medals includes, Tobi Amusan, Rosemary Chukwuma, Favour Ofili and Grace Nwokocha.
Although it has not been made public who among the winners is involved, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria had reportedly been notified of the development by the World Anti-Doping Agency, as the confirmation of the B sample is still being awaited.
Truthlive.net learnt that, the AFN president Tonobok Okowa who confirmed the development said the federation had begun an investigation of the matter and would make its position known.
“The letter from the World Anti-Doping Agency just reached the federation today (Friday) and we are shocked to hear this for the first time. We risk being stripped of the 4x100m Commonwealth Games gold we won in Birmingham,” Okowa told Saturday PUNCH.
“But we will carry out our investigation. Although an athlete is responsible for anything that has to do with doping, this is not a good development for us.”
According to the AFN boss, the AFN would make a public statement after concluding its investigation.
“No, I can’t disclose the identity of the athlete now because we need to confirm exactly what happened and conclude on our findings before making a public statement.
“The matter is still being investigated and it’s not yet confirmed. What we got is notification letter, so, that everybody concerned will be ready for their defence, “ AFN head coach Seigha Porbeni added.
In a similar development, a young high jumper David Aya also failed a drugs test at last month’s World Athletics Junior Championships in Cali, Colombia.