Nigerian fighter handed Olympic suspension for doping violation

Nigeria’s Cynthia Temitayo Ogunsemilore has been suspended from the Paris Olympics because of a doping violation.

In a statement, the International Testing Agency (ITA), said the sample that they had collected, “has returned an adverse analytical finding for the specified prohibited substance furosemide.”

The substance comes under the “diuretic and masking agents” bracket by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the sample had been taken on Thursday, the day before the opening ceremony in France. Results were reported by the WADA accredited lab on Saturday.

The 22-year-old was due to box on Monday and she has the right to appeal her suspension. Ogunsemilore can also ask for the B sample to be tested.

“The athlete has been informed of the case and has been provisionally suspended until the resolution of the matter,” the statement read. “This means that the athlete is prevented from competing, training, coaching, or participating in any activity, during the Olympic Games Paris 2024.”