By Victor Kanayo
With few days to the 2023 World Championship, President of World Athletics body, Lord Cole, has said the suspension of global record holder Tobi Amusan by Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) was to foster confidence in the anti-doping movement.
Cole who spoke in a pre-championship reaction said, “The anti-doping processes that the AIU has undertaken, which I do need to remind people was at the centrepiece of my reform, was to put confidence back into the sport.
“Both (for) competitors, and (for) federations to know that the politics of these decisions was removed, that the testing was independent and, yes, whereabouts are nothing new. Whereabouts, whether in some way or another, were virtually with us.
“What we are trying to do is not to instil a lack of confidence. I think a lack of confidence exists, and did exist when people were questioning whether we were serious about evolving our anti-doping process.
“I think people now recognise that it doesn’t matter whether you are a world record holder, there are processes, and the whereabouts are a very important part of that.”
Amusan at the last edition of the Championship won 100m hurdles in 12.12secs to put up a spectacular world record.
While preparing to defend her title, the AIU charged the 26-year-old with a rule violation for missing three drug tests in 12 months.
She had said she would appeal the charges before World Championship kick-off in August, while insisting that she has competed clean.
