‘I am not to blame for Nwokocha anti-doping rule violation’

The Nigerian female athlete Grace Nwokocha fingered as the cause of her positive dope test has ‘vigorously’ denied the claim.

In a report detailing how the Commonwealth Games Federation found Nwokocha quilty of spicing her system with the prohibited substances, Ostarine and Ligandrol, the unnamed Nigerian athlete was said to have vigorous denied she was the source of the two prohibited substances.

Nwokocha’s counsel, Tim Meakin had said in the report that ‘(Ms Nwokocha) was probably the victim of a contamination of her drinks whils in a practice sessions on the track at the Athletes’ Village.

‘Another athlete drank from her drinks bottle in the period 28th July to 3rd August 2022, and the contamination of her drink therefore occurred when she herself drank from the same bottle.

‘That is how the the prohibited substance was ingested into her system and moreover, probably led to the result on the sample taken on 3rd August 2022.’

The Commonwealth Games Federation however disagreed with Nwokocha’s account as narrated by her counsel.

‘It was submitted that there was no corroboration of the assertion that athlete X had drunk from the respondent’s Lucozade bottle at any time, and , necessarily, the respondent’s explanation implied that athlete X was herself doping with Ostarine and Ligandrol- however there was simply no evidence to support that necessary implication, and such evidence as was available countered it.

”Sudsidiarily, it was submitted that even if the Federation Court were to conclude that Athlete X was the source of Ostarine and Ligandrol – despite her vigorous denial that she had been the source – as a threshold requirement for a finding of No Fault or Negligence, the respondent (Nwokocha) was also required to establish a further threshold requirement.

‘This is namely that she had exercised the ‘utmost caution’ to avoid ingestion of a prohibited substance and that in that regard her obligation was to satisfy the Federation Court that she had made ‘every conceivable effort to avoid taking a prohibited substance’.

Nwokocha has been stripped of her time and medal she won at the Games which means the 4x100m gold and 42.10 African record are no longer valid since she anchored the team to glory.