President, Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Tonobok Okowa has offered not to comment on the alleged anti-doping violations by Women’s 100m hurdles world record holder, Tobi Amusan.
The Athletic Integrity Unit, AIU) late Tuesday provisionally suspended Amusan for alleged ‘three Whereabouts Failures’ within 12 months.
The AIU said the charges against the World record holder and Commonwealth champions, will soon be heard by the disciplinary Tribunal and determined before next month’s World Athletics Championship in Budapest.
Reached by our correspondent over the development, Okowa said it would be hasty to comment when the situation has not been properly studied and that he would not like to heat up the polity.
“I will rather not say anything on it for now,” Okowa told NationSport. “It is not good to heat up the polity with careless comments.”
But AFN) Technical Director, Samuel Onikeku has thrown his weight behind, Amusan in the wake of the AIU charges.
“This is not the news we are happy about, Tobi Amusan is just like the face of Nigeria athletics, she’s the one we are proud of and her achievements,” Onikeku told Brila FM. “Her world championship Gold and World Record in Oregon last year was a unifying factor in the country.”
Speaking against her travails, Amusan who on Tuesday’s night won the Gyulai Istan Memorial Women’s 100m Hurdles at 12.35 seconds in Hungary, has vowed to challenge her provisional suspension, adding she’s a ‘clean athlete’ in an Instagram post.
“Today the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has charged me with alleged rule violation for having three missed tests in 12 months. I intend to fight this charge and will have my case decided by three arbitrators before the start of next months’ the World Championships. I am a clean athlete, and I am regularly; (maybe more than usual) tested by the AIU – I was tested within days of my third ‘missed test’. I have faith that this will be resolved in my favour and that I will be competing at the World Championships in August. In the meantime, I ask that the media respect my privacy while I address these allegations in my upcoming arbitration.”
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
