The National Sports Commission (NSC) has disqualified six athletes from participating in the ongoing National Sports Festival (NSF), Gateway Games 2024, in Abeokuta over anti-doping violations.
The decision was announced after a joint meeting of the Main Organising Committee and the Local Organising Committee on Monday, underscoring the NSC’s commitment to upholding global best practices and ensuring a clean, fair competition.
The NSC Director of Press, Kehinde Ajayimade, said the disqualified athletes will not be allowed to compete for medals during the festival, a directive aligned with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code, BusinessDay reports.
NSC Director-General Bukola Olopade, speaking at the meeting, emphasised the importance of protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s largest multi-sport event through strict enforcement of anti-doping regulations.
“The issue of anti-doping is one important mandate of the Commission to ensure that Nigeria is devoid of drug problems at both domestic and international competitions,” Olopade stated.
BusinessDay reports that he further praised the recent passage of the National Anti-Doping Law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, noting that its implementation must begin with the Gateway Games.
“We are fully committed to clean sport. Every state must ensure that its athletes compete clean,” Olopade added.