Ogunsemilore couldn’t prove her innocence — NOC

Nigerian boxer Cynthia Ogunsemilore was sent parking from the Olympic Games Village in Paris 2024 after failing to prove her innocence in a doping case, Nigeria Olympic Committee Media Officer Tony Nezianya told PUNCH Sports Extra on Wednesday.

The International Testing Agency had earlier reported that Ogunsemilore tested positive for furosemide, a prohibited diuretic, in an out-of-competition doping control on Thursday.

“She left the Games Village yesterday (Tuesday). She will be heading back to Nigeria, and she has to leave France,” Nezianya told our correspondent.

“She has been sent out of the Games Village in line with the directive that she should leave. Some certain items have also been recovered from her; a Samsung phone, an accreditation tag, and other things were returned to the IOC.”

Responding to Ogunsemilore’s claims that the test was wrongfully conducted, Nezianya stated, “Those testimonies should have been given to the IOC, and she did not tender it there. It is when they are caught that they start blaming procedures. Her signature is already on the result, which means she gave consent to the procedures followed.”

“She was alleged to have taken drugs, and she was not able to prove anything otherwise.”

The Court of Arbitration for Sport’s Anti-Doping Division confirmed Ogunsemilore’s provisional suspension on July 28, which will continue through the duration of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist and African Games champion had been scheduled to face Taiwan’s Wu Shih Yi in a round of 16 bout on Tuesday before her suspension led to a win for Shih Yi.

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