The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), has assured Nigerians of the performance of its athletes ahead of Friday’s track and field events at the ongoing Tokyo Olympic games.
A statement from the AFN President, Tonobok Okowa, made available to newsmen, said AFN bears the responsibility following the decision of the Integrity unit of the World Athletics Council.
Okowa said as part of measures to avoid further occurrences, Prof. Ken Anugweje had been appointed as the head of the Medical and Anti- Doping Commission of the Federation.
NAN reports that 10 Nigerian athletes were disqualified from competing in the track and field events at the Tokyo Olympics following their failure to meet up with the minimum testing requirements under Rule 15 of the Anti-Doping Rules.
“AFN bears responsibility for any lapses that may have occurred during the process and reassures Nigerians that our athletes’ performances will not be negatively impacted.
“The president has taken proactive steps to avoid future occurrences by appointing Prof. Ken Anugweje as the head of the Medical and Anti- Doping Commission of the Federation.
“He has also put in place appropriate measures to comply with Rule 15 of the Anti-Doping Rules of World Athletics,’’ he said.
The president noted that all athletes resident in Nigeria and who qualified for the Olympic Games completed the three mandatory tests and most of the top athletes’ resident in the USA also completed their tests.
He said, however, that a few athletes in the American collegiate system were tested, but those tests were deemed not to have complied with WADA sample collection and analysis standards.
“It must be noted that no Nigerian athlete tested positive to prohibited substances.
“Also to note is that 12 top Nigerian athletes have been cleared and are eligible for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics,’’ he said. (NAN)
