Affected Athletes Entitled To 'B' Tests, Says AFNTHEY were all smiles as they mounted the medals podium in Porto Novo, Benin Republic, venue of the recently concluded African Athletics Championship. Vivian Chukwuemeke set a new African record in the women shot put event to help Team Nigeria to the top of the medals table ahead of Kenya and South Africa. Two other athletes, Laureta Ozoh and Gloria Asumnu, also played big roles in the victory.But barely two weeks after, the trio has become the 'biggest enemies' of Team Nigeria. They have been decamped from the Nigeria's Olympics Camp in London yesterday for allegedly failing drugs test.Although the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) merely announced late Thursday evening that three athletes were dropped from Nigeria's team, a source named the affected athletes to include Chukwuemeke, Ozoh and AsumnuIn the email sent to The Guardian on Thursday evening, AFN President, Solomon Ogba, had said the athletes were decamped after the final analysis of their chances to medal at the Games. He said that the affected athletes have been duly informed, but he did not mention their names.It was learnt yesterday that a recent random test conducted on the athletes showed that the trio of Chukwuemeke, Ozoh and Asumnu used performance enhancing substances, which prompted their decamping from Team Nigeria camp.While Chukwuemeke ruled Africa in the women shot put, Ozoh was part of Team Nigeria's 4x100m relay quartet that won the gold at the Porto Novo championship. She was second in the 200m race, which Asumnu won.Chukwuemeke threw 18.86 metres on the final day of the Porto Novo competition to shatter her former African record of 18.33 metres she set in 2006.Before the events of yesterday, Chukwuemeke believed she would surprise athletics buffs in London. She told The Guardian in an interview after setting the record in Porto Novo that she was looking forward to more records this season.Meanwhile, the AFN explained yesterday that the decision to drop the three athletes from the Team Nigeria Olympic 2012 camp was a normal procedure to ensure that the country was not embarrassed at the global multisport fiesta.AFN President, Solomon Ogba, said in a statement yesterday that the affected athletes had questions to answer with regards to how certain banned substances were found in their systems.'The tests we carried out on our athletes found these three dropped to have been guilty of using banned substances. Because we are desirous of going to the London Olympics with 100 per cent dope free athletes, we had no choice but to remove the trio from our team.'The AFN pleaded with the media to exercise patience as full disclosure of the athletes involved would be made soon.'As you are aware, the affected athletes are entitled to a second test ('B' samples)before we can say categorically that these are the athletes found guilty,' he stated.'Once the Medical Committee of our federation completes its findings, a statement, detailing everything the press and Nigerians want to know, will be issued,' the AFN boss added.There were reports late yesterday that one other athlete in Team Nigeria's camp in London had tested positive to a banned drug, bringing the total to four within 48 hours.
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