The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has commended the Nigerian government for imposing stricter anti-doping measures and increasing the number of tests conducted by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).
The AIU is an international body and special unit created by the International Amateur Athletics Federations to oversee all issues relating to doping control among its members.
Nigeria is placed in category A — the lowest ranking of federations.
The athletes from countries in this category must have at least three out of competition testings (OCTs), with each test to be conducted three weeks apart within the ten months leading to a major international event like the Olympic Games and the World Championships.
At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, ten out of Nigeria’s twenty-three athletes were barred from competing, owing to their failure to meet this AIU requirement (Rule 15 of AIU framework) that came into force in January 2019.
But at the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, United States of America, all twenty-five Nigerian athletes registered were cleared to participate having met the requirement.
Also, all through 2021, a meagre 26 tests were conducted on Nigerian athletes. But it is understood that about 157 tests have already been done in 2022.
