Nigerian lightweight boxer Cynthia Ogunsemilore has been provisionally suspended following a positive test for a banned substance just before her first bout at the Paris Olympics. The International Testing Agency (ITA) reported that Ogunsemilore, a 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist and African Games champion, tested positive for furosemide, a diuretic on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list, in an out-of-competition doping control conducted on Thursday.
The ITA announced the suspension on Saturday, indicating that Ogunsemilore has been informed of the violation and is barred from competing, training, coaching, or participating in any Olympic activities until the matter is resolved according to the World Anti-Doping Code and the International Olympic Committee Anti-Doping Rules.
Scheduled to compete against Taiwan’s Wu Shih Yi in a round of 16 bout on Tuesday, Ogunsemilore now faces a provisional suspension, with the option to challenge the decision before the Court of Arbitration for Sport – Anti-Doping Division and request a B-sample analysis.
This suspension further weakens Nigeria’s boxing team, leaving Adam Olaore as the only remaining competitor. Dolapo Omole, another Nigerian boxer, had already withdrawn from the Games due to injury. Olaore is set to compete against Kazakhstan’s Aibeck Oralbay on Sunday at 10:48 am in the first preliminary round.
Boxing has historically been one of Nigeria’s strong suits in the Olympics, although the nation has not won a medal in the sport since the Atlanta 1996 Games.
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