Athletics Integrity Unit clears Amusan over missing doping tests

Tobi Amusan, Nigeria’s biggest athletics icon of the moment, will now be able to compete at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, which begin this weekend in Budapest, Hungary.

This is because the 100-metre hurdles world record holder has had her suspension lifted by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).

The 26-year-old can now defend her world title after a disciplinary tribunal hearing found her not to have broken anti-doping rules over missed tests.

She had been accused of missing three doping tests.

The double Commonwealth Games gold medalist had consistently denied taking performance-enhancing substances.

In a statement on Thursday, the AIU said: “A panel of the disciplinary tribunal, by majority decision, has today found that Tobi Amusan has not committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation of three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period.

“AIU head Brett Clothier has indicated the AIU is disappointed by this decision and will review the reasoning in detail before deciding whether to exercise its right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).”

Writing later on Instagram, Amusan said: “I’m thrilled to put this behind me and look forward to defending my title at the World Championships.”

Amusan set the women’s 100m hurdles world record at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon in July 2022 after crossing the line in 12.12 seconds.

Supreme News reports that World Athletics’ anti-doping rules state that any athlete failing to declare their whereabouts for a doping test on three occasions should be suspended.

This infraction must, however, have been committed over a 12-month period, and the athlete will be ineligible to compete for two years.

This is, however, subject to a reduction to a minimum of one year depending on the degree of fault.