The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has suspended Nigerian sprinter Divine Oduduru from competition indefinitely due to two anti-doping offences.
The AIU said the 26-year-old has been charged with the possession and / or use or attempted use of multiple prohibited substances.
It is seeking to impose a six-year ban on Oduduru as a result.Oduduru’s provisional suspension comes a year after Blessing Okagbare, another member of his team, was given an 11-year doping ban during the Olympics in Tokyo.
U.S. prosecutors had charged therapist Eric Lira with supplying performance-enhancing drugs to athletes at the Tokyo Games.
“The complaint against Lira provides specific information regarding persons identified as ‘Athlete 1’ and ‘Athlete 2’,” the AIU said in a statement.
“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.“Based on the information in the complaint, including text conversations imaged from Okagbare’s mobile phone by the FBI and further evidence obtained from the AIU investigation, the AIU alleges that Oduduru is ‘Athlete 2’ identified in the complaint,” the AIU added.
Oduduru’s personal best times in the 100 and 200 metres are both national records at 9.86 and 19.73 seconds, respectively.In Tokyo, when he also advanced to the 200-meter semifinals, he was disqualified during the 100-meter heats.
