Nigeria’s athletes competing at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo are facing one of the strictest anti-doping regimes ever seen in the sport.
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced on Thursday that Nigeria is among five nations listed in Category A under World Athletics Rule 15, placing its athletes under heightened testing protocols. Other countries in this group include Bahrain, Ethiopia, Kenya and Ukraine.
Being in Category A means athletes must meet the toughest testing standards before they are cleared to step on the track.
The AIU disclosed that over 650 tests had already been conducted at team hotels before the start of the championships, with another 550 tests ongoing at the Japan National Stadium during the nine-day competition. All samples are being handled by a WADA-accredited laboratory in Tokyo and will be stored for 10 years.
For the first time, the testing process will examine all three blood modules of the Athlete Biological Passport: endocrine, haematological and steroidal.
AIU chair David Howman explained that athletes from Category A countries have been under close monitoring for months.
“1,209 tests were conducted on the 145 athletes from Category A countries entered for Tokyo, with an average of more than eight tests per athlete in the ten months leading up to the championships,” Howman said.
He praised the federations for their commitment, noting: “It’s been a significant effort by the Category A National Federations and their respective NADOs, which treated athletics like a priority sport in this World Championships year. That has ensured their athletes have met the minimum testing requirements. The AIU is very pleased to see this level of commitment to protecting the integrity of our sport.”
For Nigeria, this meant every one of its 15 athletes had to undergo at least three surprise urine and blood tests within the past 10 months, spaced three weeks apart. Only those who satisfied these conditions were cleared to represent the country.
The Nigerian team includes world champion hurdler Tobi Amusan, Olympic medalist Ese Brume, 400m hurdler Ezekiel Nathaniel, shot put specialist Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, and sprinters Udodi Onwuzurike, Kanyinsola Ajayi, Israel Okon and Rosemary Chukwuma. They are competing across 11 different events.
The clampdown comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s troubling history with doping violations. Nine athletes are currently serving bans, including Blessing Okagbare, who is barred until 2031 after multiple offences, and Divine Oduduru, suspended until 2029.
Others on the sanction list include Imaobong Nse Uko, Stephen Eloji, Ada Princess Bright and Grace Nwokocha, who recently completed her ban. Shot put veteran Vivian Chukwuemeka and Henry Azike are both serving lifetime bans for repeat violations.
Alongside testing, the AIU has introduced new measures such as the AIU Call Room, a hotline where athletes can discuss integrity concerns in their own languages.
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