OPINION: Ministry of Sports, AFN Doing Their Best To Curtail Doping In Nigeria

OPINION: Ministry of Sports, AFN Doing Their Best To Curtail Doping In Nigeria

I'll like to correct the notion that Nigerian athletes and their coaches are NAIVE about anti-doping issues. That the FMYSD and AFN are not doing enough, might be true, but I'll say an emphatic NO, the duo are doing their best, despite not enough, far more than the saying they're not doing much.

Anti-doping system in Nigeria mirrors exactly virtually all systems in Nigeria. So there's no peculiarity in the way Athletics as a whole is handling the SITUATION we're in. 

Grace Nwokocha should be knowledgeable enough to know 70% of her responsibilities as an elite Nigerian athlete. She's an athlete I know personally since her Nigerian coach hinted to me about her prowess in 2018 while the Nigerian Athletics team was preparing for the 2018 Commonwealth games. I followed up on her progress and was sure she'll break through as she did in 2021. I consider her one of my prominent favourite Nigerian athletes. She hit the bullseye by achieving the Olympics qualifiers in 100m and 200m and was 9th at the Olympics in both events. 

It's still a shock to me that she failed a dope test! Her Nigerian coach is not a known cheat, hence I won't consider him my friend. Nwokocha did an 11.00s at her 2nd outing representing Nigeria. And her first as a senior athlete. And she did all that as a COMPLETE home-based athlete who had never competed away from West Africa (Abidjan and Nigeria precisely). 

The 10.97s she returned this season weren't impressive at all. Since she left Nigeria a year ago, I've not seen obvious changes in her techniques or demeanour. She's down to earth. That she failed a dope test shouldn't warrant anyone throwing her under the bus. Until proven guilty, it's still a PROVISIONAL SUSPENSION by AIU. 

I believe this crucial topic is not even ripe enough for discussion until the result of sample B is out. And until proven that she intentionally used the two substances in her system, or confesses, I want to believe we should hear her side of the story first before we start judging if she was solely at fault, or if her coaching team sabotaged her or even an unknown saboteur is the culprit in all these! 

We can but wait until more information surfaces. Then this brings me to the notion that Nigerian coaches are naive. I can point to a handful of my colleagues that know more about anti-doping than many experts parading themselves as gurus. 

Again, I can't shy away from the fact that there are numerous cheaters in the system. Ranging from athletes and coaches and even key officials in charge of athletes at different levels. Do I have proof? No! So they're all speculations and unproven hypotheses. But one thing is clear, Nigerian athletes are getting caught and their coaches are rarely implicated. 

The real cheats are the athletes themselves and some of our coaches know some of their athletes are on something but won't blow the whistle on them. And that's the problem right there. I will expose my athletes to cheating in any form. Then disown any caught cheating because I ALWAYS WARN my athletes to steer clear of any cheating. Unless it can be proven my athlete is sabotaged, I won't stick out my integrity for any found wanting. 

Our athletes are enlightened ENOUGH so it's not a matter of little anti-doping education, maybe the youngest among the elites would be brainwashed by their handlers. No official on national assignments would indulge in any act of doping national team athletes while on national calls. Food taken at the competition cafeteria is safe. And if there is any sabotage, it can be readily proven. Therefore, no team official needs to CHAPERONE athletes on what to eat or not. Athletes are RESPONSIBLE for whatever enters their systems. 

In Athletics, there are very knowledgeable team medical personnel. So issues around ACCIDENTAL administration of banned substances should be ruled out. Team officials that are not part of the medical team can't even possess syringes. Such would be thrown out of the game's village. Same with athletes and their non-medical crews. 

Therefore, on this current issue. I'll point accusing fingers at saboteurs or her American coaching crew. 

I would elaborate on my assertions. The Nigerian Anti-doping Commission named NADC is NOT DOING ENOUGH TESTS on our athletes. What are 167 tests in one season? At least 170 Nigerian athletes are considered by World Athletics as COMPETING NATIONAL CLASS ATHLETES. They are on WA Ranking Systems and every one of such athletes ought to be on the National Anti-doping Testing Pool. 

Only seven (7) Nigerian athletes are on International Testing Pool, Divine Oduduru, Ese Brume, Tobi Amusan, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, Enoch Adegoke, Favour Ofili and Annette Echikunwoke (back as American). Meaning only 7 are GETTING TESTED ADEQUATELY! Every athlete on ADAMS as it's called MUST be at a place at least 1 hour of every day should testers wish to carry out ROUTINE tests on them every day of the year! 

So who's responsible for getting our athletes tested? NADC. And who's funding the commission in charge of anti-doping issues in Nigeria? FMYSD! And that's another problem there! 

NADC ought to be INDEPENDENT. Meaning getting direct funding from the Nigerian government just like the health or educational sectors. They shouldn't lack the necessary funds to test each of the 170 notable Nigerian athletes at least once in 6 months. 

What we have now is a STRATEGIC anti-doping testing system. Since Nigeria is in AIU category A Doping Risk nations list, the NADC mainly targets PROSPECTS to make international qualifying standards. Many of our national champions and leading athletes not showing huge prospects are not getting tested!!! 

AIU category A status forces ANY Nigerian athlete wanting to feature at global championships like the Olympics and World Championships to get tested at least 3 times on no-notice and out-of-competition 10 months leading to the championship or games. The minimums are what NADC and current AFN is aiming at. 

Even if an athlete who's not in the International anti-doping testing pool had been tested 3 times as required by AIU, nothing stops such an athlete from getting tested more than the required! And that is where another problem lies! 

Cheaters can readily know how to manoeuvre the mechanism in place and KNOW WHEN and when not to dope... Hence the need for SURPRISE anti-doping tests recommended by WADA and AIU.

More enlightenment is needed undoubtedly. But more focus should be placed on CHECKMATING would be cheats and current smart ones. More funding is required to conduct more tests. And that should be the starting point. Our athletes and coaches realistically know enough already, deterring cheating should save Nigeria a lot more than proffering solutions when things had already gone WORSE! 

Our athletes would abide by rules once they know ANYONE can be tested randomly at anytime and anywhere. 

A teaser. NADC should publish several tests done in 2022. How many of them have done on the Nigerian US collegiate athletes this year, or since Tokyo Olympics in 2021? Statistics of TIME of the year and class of athletes would no doubt prove my assertions wrong. Let me take a break now.

Written by Lekan Soetan, Athletics Coach and Statistician.