11th March, 2011
Athletics coach, Uruemu Adu, says Damola Osayomi, should not be blamed for taking performance enhancing drugs at the Commonwealth Games held in India last year.
After undergoing test during the Games, Damola was found to have taken Methylhexaneamine, a banned substance.
While commending Osayemi for giving her best during the competition, the Delta-State- born coach maintained that kudos should be given to Nigeria athletes for their determination to make the country proud even when the government does not cater for their welfare.
Speaking with nigeriasportnews.org, the former athlete expressed displeasure over the action of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the National Sports Commission for putting so much pressure on the athletes without adequate support. “Nobody should blame Osayomi for what she had done. Though I am not in support of athletes taking drugs without proper specifications from a reliable pharmacist, I am not happy with the way the Sports Ministry and the AFN handled the case. There is no country that will not want the best from its athletes in every tournament.
“Our athletes will stand tall among the best in the world, but not giving them the needed support can make them do anything to survive,†he said.