D-oping Scandal- Chioma Ajunwa Reacts To Blessing Okagbare’s Ban| READ DETAILS

D-oping Scandal- Chioma Ajunwa Reacts To Blessing Okagbare’s Ban | READ DETAIL

Veteran Nigerian female athlete and gold medalist, Chioma Ajunwa -Opara has reacted to athlete Blessing Okagbare’s ten year ban.

The 51-year-old who represented Nigeria at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, making record as the first female gold medalist cautioned athletes against cutting corners, using co-athlete, Okagbare as a case study.

33-year-old Okagbare received a ten-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit(AIU) for multiple breaches of the drug anti-doping law in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

The ex-super falcons player urged athletes to brace themselves for the reality of the intense competition for coveted world titles.
Chioma Ajunwa who shared this in an interview in Lagos stated the ban would definitely mar Okagbare’s career, adding the record-setting athlete should know better as she has stayed in the U.S and has better knowledge than those who have been residing here.

‘The ban will definitely affect her career, maybe her career in athletics is over. I believe AFN can give her the support she needed.
“For Okagbare, who lives in the U.S., she should not be caught in this web, because it is believed that she has all the information she needed, and was more exposed.
Okagbare should have a better knowledge than those living in Nigeria; besides this, we have something to do here at home and not pass the whole blame’..

Chioma who has now a serving policewoman went on to reveal she set up a foundation to militate against drug abuse following her experience with the effects of doping, as she called on the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) to do the most in ensuring athletes are sensitised in this regard.

“Personally, I have set up a foundation campaigning against doping, the foundation is to educate the people and to believe in themselves. Our athletes should take their minds away from doping and cutting corners.
“I also believe that World Athletics is part of this problem by dumping the earlier arrangements on paying the athletes, during the Grand Prix where all the athletes are paid.
“The arrangement now is that World Athletics only pays the top three runners, instead of paying the athletes in all their categories, which are category A, B, and C.
“The competition is now keen to emerge as top three in the whole world. This is an area of concern, World Athletics should revert to the old system of paying all the participants to encourage all athletes,”