…Ordered To Pay US$3000 As Expenses Regarding Case
THE Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has placed a six-year ban on Nigeria athlete Divine Oduduru who was found guilty of possession as well as attempted use of prohibited substances.
It will be recalled that the athlete was in February initially provisionally suspended by the AIU concerning Blessing Okagbare’s dining scandal case, in which he was alleged to be ‘Athlete 2’.
Thereafter, the AIU released a statement on its website, pointing out that they had notified Oduduru of “two potential Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) and is seeking a six-year ban against the athlete.”
However, the world anti-doping governing body has now made the ban permanent. A release on their website stated that a disciplinary tribunal found the Nigerian athlete guilty.
A statement on the anti-doping body website read thus: “12 OCTOBER 2023, MONACO: Divine Oduduru has been banned for six years by a three-member Disciplinary Tribunal for committing two Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) of Possession of Prohibited Substances and the Attempted Use of a Prohibited Substance or Method and ordered to pay World Athletics US$3000 towards its expenses regarding the case.
“The ban takes retroactive effect from 9 February 2023 – the date on which the Nigerian sprinter’s provisional suspension began – and runs until 8 February 2029, while all his results from July 12 2021 until the date of his provisional suspension have been disqualified.”
With this development, the 200m record holder will now watch from the sideline for the next year, a scenario that may translate into an abrupt end of his athletic career.
Eighteen-Eleven Media