Female Nigerian Athlete, Blessing Okagbare, has allegedly been identified as an accomplice as US prosecutors begin the trial of suspects under the new US anti doping law.
U.S prosecutors had on Wednesday, the 12th of January 2021 charged Texas born Eric Lira, a self- acclaimed kinesiologist and naturopathic doctor with providing performance-enhancing drugs to athletes at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The 41 year old Lira is the first person ever to be charged under the Rodchenkov Act, the new U.S anti- doping law guiding international sports competitions.
The Office of the U.S Attorney in Manhattan has revealed Lira distributed the drugs, including human growth hormone and erythropoietin, a blood-building hormone, “for the purpose of corrupting” the 2020 Games, which were held in 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The 33 year old Nigerian Sprinter had been provisionally suspended for testing positive for human growth hormone on the 31st of July 2021, barely hours before she was due to run in the semifinals of the women’s 100 meters at the Olympics. The US Authorities who had gone through Okagbare’s cellphone as she was returning to the United States found text messages sent through an encrypted app linking the celebrated medalist to Lira.
With the recent turn out of events, Okagbare’s hopes of being cleared of the doping allegations are fast fading
The Rodchenkov Act, the new US anti- doping law is named after Grigory Rodchenkov, a Russian whistleblower who helped clamp down to drug barons in Russia.
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