THE Court of Arbitration for Sport has ended the Tobi Amusan missed drug tests saga by ruling in favour of the Nigerian track star.
Amusan had been provisionally suspended by World Athletics last year for allegedly missing three out-of-competition drug tests but the women’s 100m hurdles world record holder successfully appealed the decision.
However, World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Athletics Integrity Unit of World Athletics were adamant that there was wrongdoing and took the case to CAS, the highest adjudication body in sports.
In their ruling last night, Amusan was cleared by CAS of the whereabouts rule violation filed by the World Athletics and WADA.
In dismissing the charges against the World, Commonwealth and African champion, CAS wrote: “The Court of Arbitration for Sport has dismissed the appeals filed by World Athletics and World Anti-Doping Agency against the decision issued of 17 August 2023 by the World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal in relation to the hurdler Oluwatobilola (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.”
CAS explained that World Athletics and WADA had sought a two-year ban for Amusan for the alleged violation and the arbitration body held a hearing on the case on January 19 this year.
After deliberations, the CAS panel dismissed the appeals, on the grounds that the body “acknowledged that Amusan committed two filing failures but did not confirm a missed test, alleged by WA and WADA, which would have been a third whereabouts failure committed within a 12-month period”.
Amusan, 26, became the first Nigerian athlete in history to both win a World Athletics title and set a world record when she achieved both feats at the World Athletics Championship in Oregon, United States of America in 2022.
