OFFICIAL: Divine Oduduru suspended, faces six-year ban
According to the findings by the AIU, Oduduru is also entangled in the Blessing Okagbare scandal.
The Athletics Integrity Unit has come down hard on another Nigerian athlete for doping-related offences.
The latest culprit is Divine Oduduru who has been suspended with immediate effect while he is at risk of a six-year ban.
According to the findings by the AIU, Oduduru is also entangled in the Blessing Okagbare scandal.
Already Okagbare is serving and 11-year ban and if confirmed guilty as charged, Oduduru will be serving almost half the duration of his 'mentor' ban.
Read the Full AIU Statement:
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has notified Divine Oduduru of two potential Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) and is seeking a six-year ban against the Nigerian.
The sprinter has been notified of potential ADRVs for possession (Rule 2.6 of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules; ADR) and/or use or attempted use of multiple Prohibited Substances (Rule 2.2 ADR). He has been provisionally suspended immediately.
These alleged violations stem from an AIU investigation based on information in a criminal charge brought against US-based “naturopathic” therapist Eric Lira, on 12 January, 2022, by the United States Department of Justice under the Rodchenkov Act [LINK]. Lira is alleged to have supplied performance-enhancing drugs to athletes before the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (delayed until summer 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic). The complaint against Lira provides specific information regarding persons identified as ‘Athlete 1’ and ‘Athlete 2’. In February 2022, a sole arbitrator of the AIU Disciplinary Tribunal concluded that they were “comfortably satisfied” that ‘Athlete 1’ was Oduduru’s team-mate, Blessing Okagbare, and banned her from the sport for ten years [LINK], which was increased to an 11-year ban in June 2022 following further charges brought by the AIU [LINK].
Based on the information in the complaint, including text conversations imaged from Okagbare’s mobile phone by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and further evidence obtained from the AIU investigation, the AIU alleges that Oduduru is ‘Athlete 2’ identified in the complaint.
As the process is ongoing, the AIU will make no further comment on the matter at this time.
