‘Education, Panacea To Athletes’ Doping’

The Minister of Sports and Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, has said that education is the panacea to doping among athletes.

Adedoja spoke at the Forum of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), at the weekend in Abuja. 

 He said, however, that the NSC had been collaborating with various agencies to change the situation for the better, adding that they would come out with rules and regulations.

“We have a committee against doping in Nigeria, and Nigeria is also a member of the World Association Against Doping (WADA) that is in charge of regulating and monitoring athletes and officials that in one way or the other participate in doping in sports.

“We are also collaborating with various agents of government like the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Immigration Service, and Nigerian police to ensure it stops, but basically what is most important is the issue of education,’’ Adedoja said.

He further said that the NSC had set up an education enlightenment committee and engaged some anti-doping staff who were currently in various Camps.

 According to him, the athletes do not know who they are and could not tell whether they were with them in camp or in the rooms or clubs.

 ”I am sure that this will not only eliminate the issue of doping, but will completely eliminate it at the sporting arena,’’ Adedoja said.

   The minister noted that doping, drug use and abuse in sports were international phenomena and that Nigeria was not an exception.

 ”We cannot have any excuse for any Nigerian to take part in it because apart from it robbing Nigeria of  its place in international sports, it is not good for athletes themselves because it creates a lot of psychological problems for them,’’ he said.

It will be recalled that at the last Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, Nigeria won12 gold medals but later lost one when Damola Osayomi was stripped of her medal following allegations of doping.

 At the World Championships in Berlin 2009, four Nigerian athletes tested positive to banned drugs.