By Blessing Udeobasi
The Athletics Integrity Unit on Monday extended the ban on Nigerian born Blessing Okagbare after she allegedly failed to respond to the charges against her by the extended deadline of June 21, 2022.
Blessing who was Nigeria’s 2008 long jump silver medalist was in February 2022, given a 10-year-ban by the body after she was found guilty of doping.
The ban extension was revealed in a document released on Monday which added an additional one year to the ban stating that the 33-year-old athlete is meant to have admitted the anti-doping rule violations (under Rule 2.3 and Rule 2.5 of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules) and to have accepted the consequences.
Part of the document read: “On the basis that the Athlete is deemed to have admitted the anti-doping rule violations under Rule 2.3 ADR and Rule 2.5 ADR and accepted the consequences set out in the Second Charge, the AIU confirms by this decision the following consequences for the anti-doping rule violations: an increase of one (1) year to the period of Ineligibility of five (5) years already imposed upon the Athlete by the Tribunal in the Decision in accordance with Rule 10.4 ADR.
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“Disqualification of the Athlete’s results since 13 June 2021, with all resulting Consequences, including the forfeiture of any titles, awards, medals, points prizes and appearance money; and 40.3. disqualification of the results of any relay team in which the Athlete competed since 13 June 2021 in accordance with Rule 11.3.1 ADR.
“This decision constitutes the final decision of the AIU pursuant to Rule 8.5.6 ADR. Further to Rule 13.2.3 ADR, the Athlete, the World Anti-Doping Agency (“WADA”) and the Nigerian National Anti-Doping Committee have a right of appeal against this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, in accordance with the procedure set out at Rule 13.6.1 ADR.”
Recall that the 33-year-old, who is also a sprinter, was expelled from the Tokyo Olympics last year before the women’s 100m semi-finals after testing positive for human growth hormone at an out-of-competition test in Slovakia on July 19.
