Former technical director of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Sunday Adeleye has told the federation to emphasise the need for athletes to avoid ban substances and also to engage in a thorough athletes’ education programme so as to discourage them from using banned substances.
Not too long ago, the then Nigeria’s reigning queen of the tracks, Blessing Okagbare was suspended for taking performance-enhancing substances and now it’s one of Nigeria’s most promising athletes, Grace Nwokocha who ran in the 4x100m gold medal-winning relay team that included the like of Tobi Amusan, Rosemary Chukwuma, and the promising Favour Ofili in the just concluded CommonWealth Games in Birmingham is now suspended provisionally by the Athletics Integrity Unit, AIU of World Athletics as it was reported that she used a steroid.
Adeleye has told the AFN to be up and doing in their activities as a governing body of athletics in Nigeria to quickly educate its athletes on ban substances “You can be tested today and take something tomorrow so what happens? Education now comes in. It plays a vital role. Educate these athletes and let them understand. We have a series of cases the federation probably is hiding right now. They are supposed to let the other athletes know that people are getting caught all the time so athletes must stay away. If you are caught, you have four years out of your career, and you are done. And how many athletes come back after the ban to do well again? If she is found wanting, we have lost all those things she won. That’s a sad one for us”.
As it stands, Grace Nwokocha has tested positive for ostarine and ligandrol, which ban substances that increase metabolism, athletic performance, and muscle growth. Investigations are still going on and if found guilty, Nwokocha stands a risk of being banned for four years, thereby missing out on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games.