Athletics
Olympics set back for Nigeria as 4x400m team is disqualified
World Athletics has reportedly disqualified the Nigerian women’s 4x400m team from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics following some technical errors in the race where they secured qualification at the Lagos Open Athletics Championships on June 24.
According to reports by The Punch, the Nigerian quartet – Nse Imaobong, Favour Ofili, Knowledge Omovoh, and Patience Okon-George – at the event held at the Teslim Balogun Stadoum, ran a season’s Best 3:26.83.
By the win, Nigeria climbed to 13th on the WA Top List from the 18th position they initially occupied.
According the report, the World Athletics did not give reasons for the country’s disqualification,but findings by The Punch showed that the result was not ratified by WA, who didn’t reflect the qualification results on the Road to Tokyo tool used to determine qualified athletes on their website, when the final list was published on Thursday.
A source in the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, who spoke to The Punch on condition of anonymity, said WA disqualified the race after one of the countries seeking qualification with Nigeria petitioned them over glaring technical errors in the race.
“The race has been disqualified; one of the countries on the Top List was pushed out of qualification places, while we went up.
“So, the country sent the race video to World Athletics. “In curve races, the results don’t count if there are no cones. In Team Nigeria’s case, they didn’t put cones where the second leg diverted to lane one, that’s the error.
“It is a shame that we are saying this out; that people who call themselves professionals handled things this way. It was the same reason they did not accept the Asaba race (2018 African Athletics Championships), once there are no cones round or there are no railings, it wouldn’t be accepted,” our source said.
A coach and statistical analyst Lekan Soetan, added, “There’s a rule that all races on bends must be run with kerbs to prevent runners from running inside the inner lane. “Meaning there’s no proof that all runners in that race didn’t break the bend rule since there was no kerb on the bend to ascertain that.”
Athletics
Record 6000 runners register for 2nd Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10km Run
A record 6,000 runners, local and international from across the African continent and Nigeria have registered for the second edition of the Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10km Run slated for September 28, 2024, as the organisers, Nilayo Sports Management Limited guns for a bronze label status for the race.
The Chief Operating Officer of Nilayo Sports Management Limited, Ebidowie Oweifie, noted that the theme of this year’s edition of the Abeokuta 10km Race titled ‘For Greatness’ out is out to commemorate the birthday anniversary of the Egba paramount ruler, the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo 111, the 10km Run will flag off at Iyana Oloke at 6am and finish at The Alake Palace, Abeokuta.
Kenya’s Peter Nwaniki is the men’s race defending champion at a time of 28 minutes 14 seconds, while Shamila Kipsirir also of Kenya is the women’s defending champion.
Nigeria’s race men’s defending champion is Francis James at 31minutes 08seconds, while the women’s defending champion is Patience Daylop at 36 minutes 31 seconds.
The second edition of Abeokuta10km Race will be sponsored by Lotus Bank, FEBBS Premium Water, Fatgbems Petroleum Limited and Cash Token.
Athletics
Behold, CAS statement on Tobi Amusan
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
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.
Athletics
Tobi Amusan floors WADA and World Athletics!
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.”
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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