World 100m hurdles champion Oluwatobiloba Amusan has responded firmly to the Athletics Integrity Unit after she was charged with missing three doping tests in 12 months.
According to a statement on the official Twitter page of the body, the athlete is being charged for “3 Whereabouts Failures” and has therefore been suspended provisionally for breaching article 2.4 of the World Anti-Doping Code.
According to the body, a whereabouts failure will be recorded against an athlete on the World Athletics Registered Testing Pool (RTP) under the following conditions:
- If an athlete failed to submit his or her whereabouts by the required deadline (Filing Failure).
- If an athlete fails to update his or her whereabouts or has not updated them as soon as possible after a change of circumstances (Filing Failure).
- If an athlete files his or her whereabouts on time but they are incomplete or inaccurate or insufficient to enable the body to locate you for testing (training address missing, home address too vague, competition schedule missing or incomplete, no address of temporary accommodation during competition…) (Filing Failure).
- The Athletics Integrity Unit finds out that an athlete whereabouts are inaccurate or incomplete following an unsuccessful attempt to test you (e.g. an athlete lives in a gated complex and fails to give instructions to the security gate to let the doping control officer in) (Filing Failure).
- If an athlete files a whereabouts information but he or she fails to be available for testing at the location corresponding to your 60-minute time slot (Missed Test).
However, Tobi Amusan, in a statement via her Facebook page said she is a clean athlete. The world record holder claimed that she has been tested more frequently than usual of recent.
Amusan added that she is ready to fight the charge and have her her case heard by three arbitrators before the start of the start next month’s world championship in Budapest.
“(July 19, 2023) Today the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has charged me with an alleged rule violation for having 3 missed tests in 12 months. I intend to fight this charge and will have my case decided by a tribunal of 3 arbitrators
before the start of next month’s World Championships. I am a CLEAN ATHLETE, and I am regularly; (maybe more than the usual) tested by the AIU – I was tested within days of my third “missed test.” I have FAITH that this will be resolved in my favor and that I will be competing at the World Championships in August. In the meantime, I ask that the media respect my privacy while I address these allegations in my upcoming arbitration.”
Tobi Amusan is the current World, Commonwealth and African 100m hurdles champion. Amusan achieved a historic milestone for Nigeria as she secured the title of the world champion and world record holder in an athletics event. Her remarkable feat came to fruition at the 2022 World Championships, where she clinched the gold medal in the 100m hurdles. During the semi-final, she astounded the world by setting the current world record at an astonishing 12.12 seconds (+0.9m/s). Undeterred by the pressure, she continued her sensational performance in the final, achieving an impressive time of 12.06 seconds (+2.5m/s).
