Doping: Nigeria Athletics At A Crossroads

By: Gyang Dakwo

Nigeria and Venezuela’s participation in international athletics events notably the forthcoming Paris Olympic games hangs in the balance over allegations of non-compliance to doping regulations.

According to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), it has referred the national anti-doping agencies of Nigeria and Venezuela to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over their alleged non-compliance.

The agencies were sanctioned by WADA in November for failing to address “critical requirements”.
Both agencies have disputed WADA’s allegations.

In a statement on Tuesday, WADA said it “filed the two separate requests for arbitration with CAS on Feb. 9, 2024… The allegations of non-compliance and the consequences would not take effect until such time as CAS makes its ruling.”

The punishments recommended by WADA’s Compliance Review Committee state that Nigeria and Venezuela’s flags would not be flown at competitions and the nations would be ineligible to host major sporting events until reinstatement conditions were met.