Team Nigeria boxer heads home after failing doping test
Nigerian boxer Cynthia Ogunsemilore has been expelled from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Village due to a positive doping test.
The Nigeria Olympic Committee confirmed that Ogunsemilore was unable to clear her name after testing positive for the banned diuretic, furosemide, in an out-of-competition test conducted earlier this month.
Nigeria Olympic Committee Media Officer, Tony Nezianya, stated that Ogunsemilore left the Games Village on Tuesday and will return to Nigeria.
Her Olympic credentials, including her accreditation tag and a Samsung phone, have been returned to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
READ MORE: Team Nigeria Boxer disqualified from Paris Olympics for Doping
Nezianya explained that Ogunsemilore had signed the doping test results, indicating her consent to the procedures.
He also noted that the boxer had not provided any evidence to contest the test results to the IOC, suggesting that such claims were made only after being caught.
“She left the Games Village yesterday (Tuesday). She will be heading back to Nigeria, and she has to leave France,” Nezianya told PUNCH.
Ogunsemilore, who was scheduled to compete against Taiwan’s Wu Shih Yi in the round of 16, had her match forfeited due to her suspension.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport’s Anti-Doping Division upheld her provisional suspension on July 28th, ending her participation in the Olympics. The 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist and African Games champion now faces the repercussions of her doping violation.
