Drugs Destroy Athletes, Ohuruogu Warns

British 400m athlete, whose parents hails from Imo State, Nigeria, Christine Ijeoma Ohuruogu has warned that on no circumstance should athletes take to drugs in order to improve on their performance.

Ohuruogu was suspended from competing in the 2006 European Athletics Championships because she had committed a doping violation. She missed three out-of-competition drug tests, known as the “whereabouts” system, of the World Anti-Doping Code; one in October 2005 and then a further two in June 2006.

Under IAAF and British Olympic Association rules, she received a one-year ban for missing these tests, which expired on 5 August 2007. The final test missed occurred when Ohuruogu failed to inform the testers of a last-minute change of training venue after a double-booking. Ohuruogu passed tests 9 days before and 3 days after her final violation.

The British Olympic Association also imposed a lifetime ban on competing at future Olympic Games for Great Britain. She appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but the original decision was upheld, even though CAS emphasised that there was no suspicion of doping. Ohuruogu submitted a further appeal, citing the precedent of triathlete Tim Don. Her Olympic ban was over-ruled on 27 November 2007.

Speaking as an athlete who had experience of drug related offence, Ohuruogu, who was in Lagos last week to support Damilola Taylor Foundation said she was able to overcome her travail as  hard work has really encouraged her to achieve a lot in track and field events.

“The use of performance enhancing drugs  can cause havoc to athletes’ career and a great damage to sports. I think we should avoid it,” she said.

The 400m world champion in 2007, 2013, who had the opportunity of meeting some group of Nigerian athletes in Lagos, said the problem of the athletes is that they do not expose to quality training equipment, medical service, reputable and renowned coaches whose technical depth could transform them to become a Usain Bolt of this world.