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Nigerian boxer Cynthia Ogunsemilore has been provisionally suspended from the Paris Olympics women’s tournament after testing positive for a banned doping substance.
The athlete was suspended by the International Testing Agency (ITA) ahead of her opening fight at the Olympics. According to the ITA, the 2022 Commonwealth Games Bronze medalist and African Games champion tested positive for furosemide, a diuretic on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list, in a sample collected on Thursday.
The 22-year-old has been provisionally suspended and cannot take part in the Olympics. She was scheduled to compete against Taiwan’s Wu Shih Yi on Monday in the round of 16 as the fourth-seeded boxer in the women’s 60-kilogram (132 pound) category.
“The athlete has been informed of the case and has been provisionally suspended until the resolution of the matter in line with the World Anti-Doping Code and the International Olympic Committee Anti-Doping Rules”, said the ITA.
Due to the suspension, Ogunsemilore is also barred from training, coaching, or participating in other activities during the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“The athlete has the right to challenge the imposition of the provisional suspension before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) – Anti-Doping Division. The athlete also has the right to request the analysis of the B-sample”, ITA wrote on its website.
This development has further depleted the Nigerian boxing team as Dolapo Omole had to pull out of the Olympics due to injuries. Adam Olaore is the only boxer left to represent the nation in the ring.
Olaore will compete against Aibeck Oralbay of Kazakhstan on Sunday in the first preliminary round.
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