By Victor Kanayo
World record star Tobi Amusan has revealed that the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has charged her with an alleged doping violation.
The charge according to the Nigerian sprint star, was after she missed three whereabouts tests.
Amusan disclosed this much via her social media handle on Wednesday morning, day after winning Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix.
Before her latest victory, Amusan won two Diamond Leagues in recent times.
Amusan Gradually Being Hurded?
On the charge leveled against her, she wrote, “Today the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has charged me with an alleged rule violation for having 3 missed tests in 12 months.
“I intend to fight this charge and will have my case decided by a tribunal of 3 arbitrators before the start of next month’s World Championships. I am a CLEAN ATHLETE, and I am regularly; (maybe more than the usual) tested by the AIU – I was tested within days of my third “missed test.”
“I have FAITH that this will be resolved in my favor and that I will be competing at the World Championships in August. In the meantime, I ask that the media respect my privacy while I address these allegations in my upcoming arbitration.”
Under World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules, the sanction for three ‘whereabouts’ failures is two years’ ineligibility, subject to a reduction to a minimum of one year depending on an athlete’s degree of fault.
Nigerians In Ban Web
Two top Nigerian athletes – Favour Chukwuma and Blessing Okagbare are currently caught in anti-doping violations.
While Chukwuma is yet to be served punishment, Okagbare is already serving 11 years ban as a result of violating rules amidst avoiding necessary tests.
What AIU Stands For
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is the independent body created by World Athletics that manages all integrity issues – both doping and non-doping – for the sport of athletics.
The remit of the AIU includes anti-doping, the pursuit of individuals engaged in age or competition results manipulation, investigating fraudulent behaviour with regards to transfers of allegiance, and detecting other misconduct including bribery and breaches of betting rules, among others.
