Idiata banned for dope, loses gold medal

Nigeria still maintained narrowly its second position in the Congo Brazzaville 2015 All Africa Games despite losing four gold medals to dope cheating.

South Africa which came second runner up  to both Nigeria and Egypt has now closed the gap with 42 gold medals, 41 silver and 41 bronze to Nigeria’s 43 gold, 54 silver and 42 bronze. The South Africans gained one of the four gold medals that Nigeria has surrendered.

Egypt that led the tournament recorded an extra-terrestrial performance with  85 gold medals, 64 silver and 68 bronze medals..

Four Nigerian  gold-medal winners and  a silver medalist at the All Africa Games last year, were found to have used banned substances during the Games.

The athletes, long jumpers Chinazom Amadi and Samson Idiata, weightlifter Elisabeth Onua and wrestler Patience Opuene have all been banned for four years.September, where they won gold. They were part of the eight athletes found to have cheated.

Nigeria’s National Anti-Doping Committee said the athletes’ All Africa Games medals and winnings would be sent back to organizers.

The Nigerian cases follow a severely troubled doping control program at the All Africa Games, which was described as “chaotic” and “ineffective from the start” by World Anti-Doping Agency independent observers in Republic of Congo.

Final medals table will now read for Nigeria, 43 gold medals, 54 silver medals. South Africa gained one of the gold medals lost by Nigeria.

Chinazom Amadi’s gold will now go to Joëlle Sandrine Mbumi Nkouindjin of Cameroon, who won silver. Similarly Samson Idiata’s gold will be deemed to have been won by Ndiss Kaba Badji, the 33 year-old Senegalese.

Weightlifter’s Elizabeth Onuah’s gold will be given to Roilya Ranaivosoa of Mauritius and wrestler Patience Opuene  lost her  50kg free style gold  medal to  South Africa’s Coetzer Jeanne Macie.