Sports
Sports Ministry Plans N350m Anti-Doping Lab In Nsukka
The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has put plans in place to build a National Anti-Doping Laboratory in the country in 2022.
This was contained in the 2022 budget presented to the National Assembly by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), which was seen by our correspondent.
According to the document, the anti-doping laboratory will be domiciled at the University of Nigeria Nsukka.
The new laboratory is expected to cost N350 million.
The construction of the new lab comes after 10 Nigerian athletes were barred from participating in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for failing to meet anti-doping requirements.
Tidesports source reports that Nigeria accounted for 50 per cent of the 20 athletes barred from the Olympics by the Athletics Integrity Unit.
“Nigeria is the most affected country, not meeting the minimum testing requirements under Rule 15 for 10 athletes,” AIU said in a statement in July.
To forestall any future occurrence, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria announced the appointment of a seven-man Medical and Anti-Doping Commission headed by Professor Ken Anugweje.
When completed, the anti-doping laboratory will get accreditation from the World Anti-Doping Agency before it can conduct human doping control sample analyses.
According to WADA’s website, “A WADA accredited laboratory can also conduct blood analyses in support of the haematological module of the Athlete Biological Passport.”
WADA also approved some other laboratories to collect blood analyses in support of the ABP.
Before now, anti-doping tests carried out on Nigerian athletes were taken out of the country for analyses.
If accredited, the UNN anti-doping laboratory will be the second accredited laboratory in Africa after the South Africa Doping Control Laboratory in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
There are also two approved laboratories in Egypt and Kenya.
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.