NSC To Institute Pre-Competition Drug Tests

The Chairman, National
Sports Commission, Mr Tammy Danagogo, has said that the commission would henceforth conduct pre-competition drug tests on athletes before they feature in any competition.
This is contained in a statement by Danagogo’s  Special Assistant on Media, Patrick Omorodion, at the weekend in Abuja.
Omorodion quoted Danagogo who is also the Minister of Sports as expressing desire to use his office to enshrine the tenets of integrity and fair competition in Nigerian sports.
The statement said Danagogo was  reacting to the failed drug test by 16-year-old Nigerian weightlifter, Chika Amalaha at the just concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
“Te first drug-test failure of our female weightlifter is very embrarrassing and I feel so saddened.
“Nevertheless I must use my office as Sports Minister to enshrine the tenets of integrity and fair competition in our sports, especially as it concerns youths.
“In this regard, I will ensure the use of Magnetic Resonanece Imaging (MRI) scanning devices among others as routine on our age-grade players and pre-competition drug tests regime on athletes generally.
“Officials and coaches who are found to encourage or condone cheating of any kind will face severe sanctions,” it quoted Danagogo as saying.
Amalaha who won gold in the 53kg category was first providionally suspended from the Games.
Her ‘A sample’ was found to contain amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide, both prohibited as diuretics and masking agents under class S5 World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) prohibited list.
But she pursued her right to have her B sample tested on July 30. The second test also returned positive.