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ATHLETICS FEDERATION, NSDFI, ONDO GOVERNMENT SIGN MOU

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Ondo State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigeria Sports Development Funds Incorporated (NSDFI) and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria to establish the first of six National Athletics Development Centres in the country.
Ondo State Sports Commissioner, Saka Yusuf Ogunleye signed the MoU on behalf of the government while the Director General of NSDFI, Olajide Fashikun and the President of Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Ibrahim Gusau also appended their signatures to the contractual papers.
Ogunleye reiterated the desire of the state to revive sports in the state starting with naming of the six communities to benefit from the new grassroots sport initiative with the aim of also generating funds for the state if the sector is properly managed.
Ogunleye in the brief ceremony held in Abuja further disclosed that the state government will soon establish a sports academy and that a site has already been identified for the project while calling on other states in the country to emulate the Sunshine state in paying more attention to sports development in their locality.
Olajide Fashikun disclosed that the project will produce the next generation of Olympic medallists for the nation in the next few years.
According to him, “all hands are on deck to give 90 athletes from five different sports Olympic grants of N10million each to prepare for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics from February 2018. It will be an unprecedented gesture in the country that will spur the athletes to adequately prepare for the Olympics.
AFN president, Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau said, this partnership will help us reposition sports in the country. We are keen on producing the next generation of Olympics medallists for the nation by taking youths off the streets. He called on all Nigerians to support and emulate the lofty programme.

Executive Director (Technical) of NSDFI, Mary Onyali promised that the future of athletics is bright in the country.

Present at the ceremony is the Zonal Director of Leadway Assurance Plc, Allan Onifade. His company will be providing insurance for all amateur athletes in the five sports featuring on the NSDFI programme.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Athletics

Behold, CAS statement on Tobi Amusan

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Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan is the winner as the Court of Arbitration for Sports, CAS has rejected the appeals filed by World Athletics and  WADA.

The decision confirms the decision taken by the World Athletics disciplinary tribunal finding that Tobi Amusan did not commit any anti-doping rule violation.

Here is the full statement of CAS.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeals filed by

World Athletics (WA) and by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against the decision issued on 17 August 2023 (the Challenged Decision) by the World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal (WADT) in relation to the hurdler Oluwatobiloba (Tobi) Amusan (Nigeria).

Accordingly, the Challenged Decision in which the WADT considered that Tobi Amusan did not violate Rule 2.4 of the WA Anti-Doping Rules (WA ADR) and that no period of ineligibility should be imposed on the Athlete is confirmed.

The Athlete was initially charged with committing an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) under Rule 2.4 WA ADR following three alleged Whereabouts Failures within a 12-month period.

In their respective appeal to CAS, WA and WADA had sought the imposition of a two-year period of ineligibility. The CAS Panel held a hearing on 19 January 2024. Having deliberated, the CAS Panel has issued its decision today dismissing both appeals. The CAS Panel unanimously acknowledged that the Athlete committed two filing failures but did not confirm the existence of a missed test, alleged by WA and WADA, which would have been the third Whereabouts Failure committed within a 12-month

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period. Accordingly, the CAS Panel concluded that the Athlete did not commit an ADRV and that the Challenged Decision should be confirmed.

The reasoned award will be published by CAS unless the parties request confidentiality.

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Athletics

Tobi Amusan floors WADA and World Athletics!

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Tobi Amusan’s Trial Begins Today -

Nigeria’s Paris 2024 medal hopeful, Tobi Amusan has been cleared as the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) has dismissed the appeal filed by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the World Athletics.

 She is therefore cleared to feature at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Amusan is the 100m hurdles world record holder.

The athlete  was charged in July last year with missing three anti-doping tests in 12 months but was cleared of the offence by the Disciplinary Tribunal of the sport’s governing body, World Athletics.

The Integrity Unit of the World Athletics appealed the clearance which has now been dismissed by CAS, the final arbiter in the case.

CAS in its statement remarked that its panel “unanimously acknowledged that the athlete committed two filing failures but did not confirm the existence of a missed test, alleged by WA and WADA, which would have been the third Whereabouts Failure committed within 12 months.”

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Amusan set the world record of 12.12 seconds in the world championships in Eugene, Oregon, in July 2022 and went on to win the title.

She finished sixth in the world championships in Budapest last year.

World Athletics’ anti-doping rules say any athlete failing to declare their whereabouts for a doping test on three occasions over 12 months is ineligible to compete for two years.

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Athletics

Tobi Amusan thanks God for success at CAS in doping case

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An elated Nigeria’s 100m hurdles world record holder, Tobi Amusan has thanked God for her success in an appeal filled against her by the Athletics Integrity Unit  of the World Athletics.

Had the appeal been upheld, ,Amusan would  have has to miss the Paris 2024 Olymoics.

“It’s ALL GOD” Amusan said in an Instagram post alongside the court’s announcement.

Amusan, who broke the world record during her semi-final race at the 2022 world championships, is a hot favourite in her signature event at the Paris Olympics, which begin on July 26.

World Athletics and WADA did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

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