GLASGOW – Dr Abdulkadir Mu’azu, Director, Sports Medicine, National Sports Commission (NSC), has expressed disappointment over the failed dope test by Nigerian weightlifter Chika Amalaha at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Amalaha, who won Nigeria’s first gold in Glasgow on Friday in the 53kg class, failed a preliminary dope test on Tuesday after her A sample showed traces of banned substances.
She tested positive for diuretic amiloride and masking agent, hydrochlorothiazide, which are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Mu’azu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Glasgow that the Team Nigeria secretariat was still wondering how the drug violation occurred.
“We are constantly talking with these athletes, because we are always with them. We cover their training and competitions.
“Back home in Nigeria, we organised series of talks and seminars. We also conducted unannounced searches in their rooms and luggage.
“But, you know they are always more wise than those that screen them. However, we are still talking and educating them,’’ Mu’azu said.
He said Amalaha’s coach and trainer could be punished or held responsible for the development on complicity grounds depending on the outcome of the B sample test.
The Director said WADA and the Nigeria Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) would look at the doping codes before making their final decision to avoid punishing athletes unfairly.
Similarly, Nigerians in Glasgow have also expressed disappointment over the incident, describing it as an embarrassment to the nation. [eap_ad_1] Miss Hilda Emengo of the National Health Service (NHS) in Glasgow said the development posed a serious danger to the athlete’s career if the B sample result finally turned positive.
“It may not be easy to regularly monitor the athletes’ whereabouts, but the truth is that our government is paying lip service to sports development.
“We heard how they were being treated in the camp without allowance. So, how do you expect them to have full control of the athletes?
“They can’t perform any magic to give their best,’’ Emengo said.
Namonet Zakariya, another Glasgow-based Nigerian, told NAN that the best way to stop doping violation was for government to provide adequate sports facilities.
This, he said, would technically enhance athletes’ performance and discourage them from using performance-enhancing drugs.
Michael Okorafor, a business consultant and director of FingerGrip Ltd., told NAN that Amalaha’s positive dope test would have a negative influence on Nigerians in Glasgow.
“It will haunt us here for some time. The people here will constantly remind us that our sister cheated to win weightlifting gold at the Commonwealth Games,’’ Okorafor said.
He urged the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) and the NSC to always have a comprehensive plan to avoid such international embarrassment for the country.
Another Glasgow-based Nigerian, who only gave his name as Malachy, urged the Nigerian government to take care of Amalaha in this trying period of hers.
He urged the government not to abandon her the way it abandoned some athletes who had made the country proud in the past.
Malachy who is a quality manager in a private company in Glasgow said Amalaha had a lot of qualities in her that could be explored in spite of her present challenge.(NAN)[eap_ad_4]