The fight against doping has been going on in the world of sport for years. Athletes undergo doping checks on a regular basis, and draconian penalties can be imposed for the use of illegal substances. This was met by Blessing Okagbare, who participated in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Olympic vice-champion Blessing Okagbare was disqualified for 10 years. “A penalty commensurate with the offense”
The Nigerian woman started her sports career in long jump. In this discipline, she achieved the greatest success in her career, which was the silver Olympic medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. At a later stage, she focused on 100 and 200 meter runs. She was supposed to fight for a medal in the top running discipline, but she tested positive and was temporarily suspended on the day of the 100 meters semi-finals.
However, this is not the end of Okagbare’s problems. In October last year, she was charged with taking growth hormone, the EPO, and refusing to cooperate with an investigation. AIU (Atheltics Integrity Unit), an international organization established by the IAAF (International Athletics Federation) to fight doping, has turned out to be unrelenting. The Disciplinary Tribunal punished the player with a 10-year disqualification. Five years of ineligibility was awarded for use and a further five years were added for non-cooperation.
– We are pleased with the decision of the Disciplinary Tribunal. The ten-year ban is a strong message against deliberate and coordinated attempts to cheat at the highest level in the sport, said AIU chief Brett Clothier.
The penalty for Okagbare was also commented by former Polish Olympian Marek Plawgo with a similar message. “Finally, penalties commensurate with the offenses,” he wrote on Twitter.
Such a powerful punishment means the end of Okagbare’s career. Nigerian was born in 1988. Her disqualification will end in 2032, and the athlete will then be 43 years old. The Nigerian woman is Olympic runner-up in the long jump (Beijing 2008). During the 2013 World Cup in Moscow, she also won silver in the long jump and bronze in the 200 meter race. She is also a multiple gold medalist of the African Championships in both disciplines.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
