Sports Ministry Enforces Zero Tolerance On Out Of Competition Testings For World Championships, Commonwealth Games

Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has said it implemented a zero-tolerance policy on Out-of-Competition Testings for athletes in the build-up to the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and World Athletics Championship in Oregon.

After the incidents at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games involving non-compliance on O.C.T testing, the Ministry put its foot down in tandem with the recommendations of the National Assembly that athletes who do not complete their mandatory tests 2-3 weeks before international competitions should not be allowed to represent Nigeria.

“We are guided by the last incident. The Ministry will not in anyway want to put the name of the country in the mud in Oregon or ridicule Nigeria in Birmingham. In line with this, the ministry ensured compliance with all laws, principles and regulations that guide testing of athletes, a zero-tolerance approach,” said Dr Simon Ebhojiaye, Director of Federations and Elite Athletes Department of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.

The World Athletics Championships get underway this weekend in Eugene, Oregon in the United States while the Commonwealth Games will be staged in Birmingham from the 28th of July through to August 8th 2022.