Barely a week before the 2016 Olympics begins in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) have disqualified Nigeria’s 4x400m women’s relay team out of the games.
The decision is as a result of one of Nigeria’s athletes, Tosin Adeloye tested positive to drugs at the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Super Grand Prix/Warri Relays in Warri, Delta state on July 24, 2015.
Adeloye was a member of the Nigerian quartet that finished fourth at the IAAF World Championships held in Beijing last year.
She ran the third leg in the semi-finals as the team ran 3:23.27 seconds, the second fastest time in Nigeria’s all-time record.She also ran the third leg in the final.
Other members of the team were Regina Goerge who ran the first leg, Funke Oladoye who ran the second leg and Patience Okon-George who anchored the team to finish fourth.
Adeloye’s positive drugs test and subsequent ban for eight years means all the results she achieved from the period she tested positive, individually and jointly will be annulled.
The 20-year-old ban will run from July 24, 2015 to July 23, 2023.
The Ekiti state-born athlete, who is the reigning African junior 400m Champion, represented Team Nigeria at the 11th African Games (AG) in Brazzaville, Congo.
