Due to a positive drug test, Nigerian boxer Cynthia Ogunsemilore was temporarily suspended and will not compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The 22-year-old tested positive for furosemide, a prohibited drug that is categorized as a diuretic and masking agent. The athlete won gold at the African Games in Accra earlier this year and a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
On behalf of the International Olympic Committee, the International Testing Agency (ITA) gathered the out-of-competition sample on July 25.
Ogunsemilore has the option to appeal the outcome, but any ruling will not be made in time for her scheduled Olympic debut on Monday in the 60kg lightweight division against Chinese Taipei’s Shih Yi Wu.
The Nigerian Olympic Committee has been contacted by the BBC and asked for a comment.
With sprinter Blessing Okagbare’s positive test three years ago in Tokyo, Nigeria has now had competitors punished for doping offenses at two consecutive Olympics thanks to Ogunsemilore’s performance.
Okagbare was later prohibited from using human growth hormone for 11 years.
There were worries before Paris 2024 that Nigerian athletes might not be permitted to compete under their own flag because of accusations from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) that the nation’s anti-doping agency does not adhere to Wada rules.
The charge is refuted by Nigeria’s National Anti-Doping Committee, and the Court of Arbitration of Sport is currently reviewing the case.
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