Commonwealth Games: Federation To Ban Athletes, Coaches For Doping

The Nigeria Para-Power lifting
Federation (NPPF) has threatened to impose a life ban on athletes and coaches that indulged in doping before or during the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
The Games would hold between July 23 and August 3.
The Technical Director of NPPF, Samuel Ekeoma, made the threat in a telephone interview with newsmen in Abuja.
Ekeoma said the decision became necessary to ensure the country maintained its clean record of countries that were free from performance-enhancing drugs in the sport.
“We have ensured and sensitised our athletes for them to be free from drugs knowing that the country had drug scandals in the past.
“In respect of that, we have sounded a warning that any coach or technical official found indulging or encouraging doping will be banned for life from our programmes,’’ Ekeoma said.
He also said the federation had intensified preparations for the Games as 14 athletes were currently in Ibadan for the final phase of camping.
According to him, we are doing fine in Ibadan in terms of training and improvement; though other federations are in Abuja but we are not regretting it.
“Our case is a peculiar one, because of the accessibility of public buildings; so, we have a comfortable accommodation in Ibadan that is disability accessible; it is familiar to the athletes and officials.
“However, we have 14 athletes in camp presently but two of them are training partners and will not be going to Scotland with the team,’’ Ekeoma added.
On the federation’s training tour, the technical director noted that the National Sports Commission (NSC) had approved Korea for the tour but was still waiting for the departure programme.
According to Ekeoma, the federation has enough time to embark on training tour since Para-Power lifting events would not start immediately at the Games.
“You know our competition is not starting immediately; we will start after the weightlifters must have ended their events.
“So, we still have a little time to go for the training tour if at all it will hold.
“We are hoping to depart the country for Korea any moment from now no matter how short the tour will be.’’
He commended the NSC and its Anti-Doping Department for their efforts aimed at educating athletes and coaches on the dangers associated with doping.
Ekeoma said that anti-doping seminar recently organised in Abuja for the seven Commonwealth Games sports had afforded the federation the opportunity to re-examine its internal punishment for doping violators.