CAS Clears Amusan Of Doping Violation

 …Athlete Can Compete At The Paris Olympics

Nigeria’s Tobi Amu­san, the world’s 100m hurdles record hold­er, is free to compete at the Paris Olympics follow­ing the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) clearing her of doping violation at the in­stance of World Athletics.

CAS in a statement on its website on Friday in a unan­imous decision rejected the appeals by World Athletics and WADA and confirms the decision by the World Athlet­ics Disciplinary Tribunal that Amusan did not commit any anti-doping rule violation.

Amusan, 27, was charged in July 2023 with missing three anti-doping tests in a period of 12 months, but was cleared of the offence by the Disciplinary Tribunal of the sport’s govern­ing body, World Athletics.

However, World Athletics and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against that de­cision.

CAS said in a statement on Friday stated, “The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeals filed by World Athletics (WA) and by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against the decision issued on 17 August 2023 (the Challenged Decision) by the World Athletics Disci­plinary Tribunal (WADT) in relation to the hurdler Olu­watobiloba (Tobi) Amusan (Nigeria).

“Accordingly, the Chal­lenged Decision in which the WADT considered that Tobi Amusan did not violate Rule 2.4 of the WA Anti-Doping Rules (WA ADR) and that no period of ineligibility should be imposed on the Athlete is confirmed.”

Amusan was initially charged with committing an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) under Rule 2.4 WA ADR following three alleged whereabouts failures within a 12-month period.

“In their respective appeal to CAS, WA and WADA had sought the imposition of a two-year period of ineligi­bility. The CAS Panel held a hearing on 19 January 2024. Having deliberated, the CAS Panel has issued its decision today (Friday) dismissing both appeals. The CAS Panel unani­mously acknowledged that the Athlete committed two filing failures but did not confirm the existence of a missed test, alleged by WA and WADA, which would have been the third Whereabouts Failure committed within a 12-month period.

“Accordingly, the CAS Pan­el concluded that the Athlete did not commit an ADRV and that the Challenged Decision should be confirmed.”

Amusan set the world re­cord of 12.12sec in the world championships in Eugene, Or­egon, in July 2022 and went on to win the title.

She finished sixth in the world championships in Bu­dapest last year.

World Athletics’ anti-dop­ing rules say any athlete failing to declare their whereabouts for a doping test on three oc­casions over a 12-month period is ineligible to compete for two years.