AFN conducts dope hearing for youth athlete one year after

“Some of the coaches are the ones doping these young athletes and at the end, no action is being taken against them.”

By Uzor Odigbo

Athletics Federation of Nigeria is set to conduct a dope hearing for youth athlete Fatimah Abudulaziz one year after she tested positive to prohibited substances.

The 16-year-old athlete was participating at the 2021 National Youth Games in Ilorin, Kwara State, when she ran afoul of the doping rules. She was suspended by the AFN despite not being given a hearing.

However, it was gathered that the hearing will be conducted this month with the young athlete hoping that she would not be given a lengthy ban having been serving time since she tested positive.

Quizzed on how she came to know about doping, she disclosed that it was her coach who injected her with medications she knew nothing about adding she had no idea what was going on.

When confronted with the allegations the coach who works with the Kwara State Sports Commission, Hammed Muritala admitted that he injected the young athlete, because she had complained of pains in her legs.

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Commenting on the development a Nigerian doping official said the country was facing a dope crisis and relevant authorities are not doing much to curtail it.

“How can a girl of 16 be using drugs to enhance her performance?

“Some of the coaches are the ones doping these young athletes and at the end, no action is being taken against them.

“We really have to wake up in this country otherwise we will continue to get more embarrassment, ” the official said.