CAS Confirms Suspension of Nigerian Olympian Ogunsemilore.
The Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS ADD) has today confirmed the provisional suspension imposed on Nigerian boxer Cynthia Temitayo Ogunsemilore. The decision was announced following an out-of-competition doping control that revealed the presence of a banned substance.
Cynthia Temitayo Ogunsemilore, who was set to compete in the Women’s Boxing 60 kg category at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, was tested on 25 July 2024. The test reported an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) for Furosemide, a diuretic and masking agent prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) at all times.
Following the AAF, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) imposed a provisional suspension on Ogunsemilore on 27 July 2024. A hearing was held with the CAS ADD Single Judge on 28 July 2024, and the decision to maintain the provisional suspension was issued later that evening.
Similarly, Sajjad Ghanim Sehen of Iraq, who was scheduled to compete in judo at the Paris 2024 Olympics, has also been provisionally suspended. Sehen’s out-of-competition doping control on 23 July 2024 revealed the presence of two prohibited substances: metandienone metabolite and boldenone. The IOC imposed a mandatory provisional suspension on 26 July 2024. A hearing was held with the CAS ADD Single Judge on 28 July 2024, confirming the suspension.
The CAS ADD’s decisions underscore the stringent measures in place to ensure fair competition and the integrity of the Olympic Games. Both athletes will not participate in the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics pending further investigations and final decisions.