Nigerian athlete, Adeloye, fails drug test, bags eight-year ban

Nigeria is athletics is in the news, but for the wrong reasons. Another female athlete, 400m runner, Tosin Adeloye, has been added to the growing list of banned athletes, following a confirmation of the doping ban on 12 athletes by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

The 20-year-old Adeloye has been banned for eight years after an in-competition test she took at the Warri Relays on July 24, 2015 turned out positive.

The ban will span from July 24, 2015 to July 23, 2023 for Adeloye, who represented Nigeria at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China.

The Ekiti State-born athlete, who is the reigning African junior 400m champion, also represented Team Nigeria at the 11th African Games (AG) in Brazzaville, Congo.

In 2010, female thrower, Sorochukwu Ihuefo, was banned for eight years, while another female thrower, Vivian Chukwuemeka was handed life ban by the IAAF in 2012. Also in 2012, another Nigerian athlete, Azike Henry was given a life ban after failing drugs test.

Last year, five Nigerian athletes, who participated at the Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville, tested positive to banned substances.

The affected athletes were Deborah Odeyemi, Chinaza Amadi, Samson Idiata (athletics), Sunday Eze (Para athletics) and Thomas Kure (Power lifting). Long jumper, Chinaza Amadi won a gold medal for Team Nigeria in the long jump in Congo Brazzaville.

According to naijacombatcorner.wordpress.com, 12 athletes, including Nigeria’s Tosin Adeloye, are in the latest ban announced by the IAAF.

The world athletics governing body, however, pointed out that the confirmation was based on information it received as of May 25.

All 12 athletes on the list have bans ranging from six months, as the shortest, and eight years as the longest.

The list has four athletes from India, two from Morocco, one from Sweden, one from Colombia, one from China, one from Italy and one from Central African Republic (CAR).