Sports
Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare accepts 10-year ban
<h4><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Blessing Okagbare, a Nigerian sprinter, has failed to appeal a 10-year suspension imposed by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) Disciplinary Tribunal.</span></h4>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The 33-year-old was punished after the presence and use of various illegal substances was discovered in her system.</span></p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-21273" src="https://thedailypage.ng/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/FotoJet-2022-03-22T014750.971-300x169.jpg" alt="Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare accepts 10-year ban" width="300" height="169" /></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Blessing Okagbare also declined to participate in the AIU&#8217;s probe into her case.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">She had threatened to use her right to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within 30 days, which would have expired on March 18, 2022.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The former Commonwealth Games double sprint winner did not file an appeal following the investigation, according to CAS.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">&#8220;Please be advised that no appeals have been lodged at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in respect to this subject at the time of writing,&#8221; CAS Communications Officer Katy Hogg stated.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Okagbare had previously denied injecting or otherwise ingesting banned substances.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">She cited a long history of &#8216;negative&#8217; tests, including 10 of the 12 she had between April 16 and July 30, 2021.</span></p>