10 Nigerians among the 20 athletes declared ineligible to participate at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics in Japan by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
The athletes were declared ineligible due to their failure to meet the anti-doping minimum test requirements.
According to the statement released by AIU, Nigeria and 6 other countries which include Belarus, Bahrain, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, and Ukraine were classified as belonging to ‘Category A’ federations that have the highest doping risk which is considered a threat to the integrity of the sport.
According to the ruling, a major requirement of Rule 15 is that “an athlete from a ‘Category A’ country must undergo at least three no-notice out-of-competition tests (urine and blood) conducted no less than 3 weeks apart in the 10 months leading up to a major event. Only then do they become eligible to represent their national team at the World Athletics Championships or the Olympic Games.”
