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By Joe Apu
Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) President, Tonobok Okowa says the governing body will not relent in its duty of educating athletes on the implications of drug use to enhance their performance.
Okowa, who is still smarting from Nigeria’s excellent performance at the recently concluded the Confederation of African Athletics Championship for U18& U20 told Daily SunSports while reacting to Coach Eric Lira guilty plea to supplying performance-enhancing drugs to Olympic athletes said that the AFN will continue to enlighten athletes on the dangers of doping.
“The AFN has always as a matter of duty continued to hold enlightenment programmes to educate our athletes on the implications of drug use.
At every camping exercise, we sensitize athletes and have not stopped doing so.
“While it is the responsibility of every athlete for what he/she takes in as medications or supplements, it is also not in the interest of the country for our athletes to fall into the doping web.”
We will therefore continue with sensitization at every given opportunity,” he stated.
Earlier this week, Eric Lira, 43, pleaded guilty to supplying performance-enhancing drugs to Olympic athletes including Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare.
Lira is the first defendant to be charged under a new US law introduced in the wake of Russia’s state-backed Olympic doping scandals.
Lira was found to have supplied drugs to Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare, who last year was banned from athletics for 11 years.
