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Tokyo 2020: First doping case at Games as Blessing Okagbare is suspended

Okagbare tested positive for human growth hormone in an out-of-competition test on July 19, four days before the Olympics opened, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said, prompting a mandatory provisional suspension.

Blessing Okagbare

Bengaluru, July 31: The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games reported its first case of doping with Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare being provisionally suspended hours before the former World Championships silver medalist was due to run in the semifinals of the women's 100M at the Japanese capital.

The results of that test were only received by track and field's anti-doping body late on Friday (July 30) and after Okagbare had already run in the 100M heats on the opening day of track competition at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, the AIU said, as per a report in AP news agency.

She won her heat in 11.05sec and was due to run in the semifinals on Saturday (July 31). The highly-anticipated women's 100M final is the last event on the day's track schedule.

The AIU informed Okagbare of her suspension on Saturday morning, it said, ruling her out of the 100 and likely ending her Olympics.

Under doping regulations, she is allowed to request that a "B" sample - or backup sample - is tested to double-check the results.

The 32-year-old had won a silver medal in the long jump at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and at the 2013 Moscow World Championships.

She also collected a bronze in the 200M at the 2013 Worlds behind gold medal winner Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who is the now favorite for the 100M title at Tokyo 2020.

Tokyo 2020: Four stars to watch out for in athleticsTokyo 2020: Four stars to watch out for in athletics

Okagbare did the 100-200 double at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Okagbare's suspension came three days after the AIU announced that 10 track and field athletes from Nigeria were among a group of 20 from various countries who were disqualified from competing at the Olympics because they had not met minimum doping test requirements. The AIU didn't name any of those athletes.

Nigeria is considered a high-risk country by the AIU because of a brittle anti-doping program. Because of that, Nigerian athletes must have at least three out-of-competition tests in the 10 months before a major championship.

Nigeria was moved into the high-risk category last year, when the problems with its anti-doping program were described as very serious by AIU chairman David Howman. Some Nigerian athletes who said they were among those who were barred from the Olympics by the AIU protested on the streets of Tokyo recently.

Story first published: Saturday, July 31, 2021, 10:33 [IST]
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