Doping crackdown: Nigeria to expel eight more athletes from ongoing Gateway Games

The 22nd National Sports Festival, dubbed the Gateway Games 2024, has been rocked by a growing wave of anti-doping enforcement as authorities double down on their mission to uphold clean sports in Nigeria.

On Tuesday, the Chairman of the Main Organising Committee and Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Bukola Olopade, announced that eight additional athletes are set to be expelled from the ongoing festival in Ogun State, bringing the number of implicated athletes to 14.

This means the athletes will not be allowed to compete let alone win medals.

This revelation came during a press briefing at the festival’s Media Centre in Abeokuta, just a day after six athletes were initially disqualified for doping violations.

“Enough of dirty sports” — Olopade declares war on doping

In an emphatic address, Mr Olopade laid bare the NSC’s resolve to clean up Nigerian sports, noting that the newly identified athletes had already been declared ineligible before the games.

“Out of the 10,000 registered athletes, we have discovered eight more, and we will name and shame the states. Enough of dirty sports in Nigeria, we have to get it right,” Mr Olopade stated.

The NSC DG revealed that evidence exists showing that states had been informed months ago about the flagged athletes, yet some still proceeded to register them.

“We have evidence to show that months ago, we informed the states of their athletes with doping issues,” he added.

“The names on that list; we are going to impose fines on the states that brought them, because it is high time we stopped messing about with the organised systems of the country.”

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“All the names were extracted from the registration list by the states. So if they were not coming with that, why did they register them?”

States push back, but NSC holds its ground

Despite the clear stance of the NSC, some states have claimed that the athletes in question were not part of their official travelling contingents. But Mr Olopade was unequivocal in dismissing these claims.

He stressed that registering athletes with known doping violations; regardless of travel status, was in itself a deliberate breach of ethical and sporting standards.

High-Profile names on the doping list

Among the first set of disqualified athletes are two high-profile Nigerian boxers:

Cynthia Ogunsemilore, a Commonwealth Games bronze medallist and African Games champion, who was provisionally suspended after testing positive for furosemide, a banned diuretic, during an out-of-competition test ahead of her planned participation in the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Dolapo Omole, another boxer, also received a doping ban and was subsequently scratched from the festival lineup.

Both Ogunsemilore and Omole were registered under Bayelsa State in kickboxing, highlighting the cross-disciplinary nature of some registrations; a point that has raised eyebrows within the NSC.

Complete list of the initial six disqualified athletes:

Cynthia Ogunsemilore – Bayelsa (Kickboxing)
Dolapo Omole – Bayelsa (Kickboxing)
Marcus Okon – Akwa Ibom (Para Athletics)
Ayabeke Opeyemi – Bayelsa (Gymnastics)
Kareem Shukurat – Lagos (Kickboxing)
Animashaun Sofia – Lagos (Para Powerlifting)

With eight more names to be unveiled imminently, the doping crackdown could dramatically impact the medals race and team compositions going forward.

Athletes serving dope bans are required to totally stay away from the sports and that is what the NSC is trying to enforce.

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Setting a new standard for accountability

By choosing to “name and shame” offending states and athletes while imposing financial penalties, the NSC is sending an unmistakable message: drug cheats and enablers will no longer be tolerated.

As the Gateway Games 2024 continues, all eyes will be on how this crackdown reshapes the competitive landscape; and whether it ushers in a new era of clean, fair sports in Nigeria.