The Athletics Integrity Unit has imposed a six-year ban on Nigerian sprinter Divine Oduduru. The athlete also earned a N3m fine.
The decision came on the heels of the decision of a three-member Disciplinary Tribunal that convicted the athlete of committing two Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs).
Until this conviction, Oduduru was considered one of Nigeria’s fastest sprinters ever. However, he has maintained his innocence.
As contained in a press statement issued on Thursday by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), the violations for which the athlete was sanctioned include the “Possession of Prohibited Substances” and the “Attempted Use of a Prohibited Substance or Method.”
Oduduru was also ordered to pay World Athletics a fine of $3,000 (over N3m) to cover expenses related to the case.
The ban is retroactive, starting from February 9, 2023 – the date of Oduduru’s provisional suspension – and extends until February 8, 2029.
Worse still, all of Oduduru’s results from July 12, 2021, to the date of his provisional suspension, have been disqualified.
According to the AIU statement on Thursday, the case unfolded as part of a criminal investigation into Eric Lira, the first person to plead guilty under the US Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act for providing performance-enhancing drugs to Olympic athletes ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The US Department of Justice’s initial complaint, issued in January 2022, referred to two athletes, “Athlete-1” and “Athlete-2.” The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) identified “Athlete-1” as Blessing Okagbare, who faced an 11-year ban last year; and, following an interview with Oduduru, concluded that he was “Athlete-2.”
Brett Clothier, Head of the AIU, expressed satisfaction with the outcome, stating, “We are very pleased with the outcome of this matter, given its particularly grievous nature, exposing the sinister collusion between athletes and other persons in deliberate plans to corrupt athletics at the highest level.”
Clothier emphasised the AIU’s commitment to uncovering cheats and acknowledged the cooperation with investigative organizations such as the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the United States Department of Justice, whose legal reach provided crucial evidence in both Oduduru’s and Okagbare’s cases.
The panel found Oduduru guilty of Possession of a Prohibited Substance and Attempted Use of a Prohibited Substance, treating them as a single first violation.
The mandatory four-year ban for the combined violation was extended by an additional two years for Aggravating Circumstances.
The panel justified the longer ban by citing Oduduru’s involvement in a scheme with a teammate to procure multiple non-specified Prohibited Substances to influence athletic competitions.
Oduduru, who turned 27 on 7 October, maintained his innocence despite overwhelming evidence against him.
The AIU’s case relied on WhatsApp messages between Okagbare and Lira, revealing Oduduru’s solicitation of Prohibited Substances and photographic evidence of these substances in his Florida apartment.
The substances found included human growth hormone (Somatropin), synthetic Insulin Growth Factor (IGF LR3), and recombinant erythropoietin (EPO).
The panel considered it an extraordinary coincidence that these substances precisely matched those requested by Okagbare from Lira for both herself and Oduduru.
The panel concluded that Oduduru was in constructive possession of the Prohibited Substances based on the circumstances surrounding their discovery in his exclusive control.
