Doping: IPC slams Paralympian Oyema four-year ban
The International Paralympic Committee has banned Paralympic champion Esther Oyema for four years after she committed an anti-doping rule violation.
The Nigerian para-powerlifter, who won gold at London 2012 Olympics in the women’s 48kg, returned an adverse analytical finding for a prohibited substance in a urine sample provided on January 28, 2019 after competing at the Lagos 2019 International Para-Powerlifting event in Nigeria.
As a result of the violation, Oyema will be ineligible for competition for four years from May 3, 2019 to May 2, 2023, the IPC stated on its website.
She has also been stripped of the gold medal which she won in the women’s 55kg event in Lagos, together with any points and laurels.
“Each athlete is strictly liable for the substances found in his or her sample. An ADRV occurs whenever a prohibited substance (or its metabolites or markers) is found in his or her bodily specimen, whether or not the athlete intentionally or unintentionally used a prohibited substance or was negligent or otherwise at fault,” the IPC added.
“As a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Code, the IPC remains committed to a doping-free sporting environment at all levels. The IPC, together with the International Federations and the National Paralympic Committees, established the IPC Anti-Doping Code (the Code) to prevent doping in sport for Paralympic athletes, in the spirit of fair play. The Code is in conformity with the general principles of the WADC.”
The substance found in Oyema’s urine sample was 19-norandrosterone.
The substance is included on the World Anti-Doping Agency 2019 Prohibited List under the class S1.1B Endogenous Anabolic Androgenic Steroids and their Metabolites and isomers.
The 28-year-old Oyema won gold and set a new world record in the women’s 61kg event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games with a lift of 122.4kg in the heavyweight category.
In 2015, she won gold at the All-Africa Games and at the IPC Powerlifting Asian Open Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
A silver medalist at Rio 2016 Paralympics, Oyema also claimed gold and created a new world record (131kg) in the women’s lightweight category at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.Punch
