The World Athletics has debunked reports that Nigeria’s track queen, Tobi Amusan has been cleared to participate at the forthcoming 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Amusan’s name was excluded by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) from the competition as she is currently under doping investigation by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
Reports surfaced last weekend that the 26-year-old has been cleared to take part in the World Athletics Championships.
But the body has now moved to deny the reports.
“Please be advised, reports that say Tobi Amusan has been cleared to compete in Budapest are wrong,” Nicole Jeffery, World Athletics’ Head of Communications said in a statement.
“No decision has been made in this case yet. When a decision is made, it will be announced by the Athletics Integrity Unit.”
In the entry list published by World Athletics, the women’s 100m hurdles world record holder was listed among Team Nigeria’s athletes, but her participation is still subject to clearance by the AIU.
With a decision expected to be made before the start of the championships, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria said it was awaiting the AIU’s verdict on the hurdler.
“The condition that the World Athletics put in front of her name says ‘pending AIU process’, so we are still waiting for it. But I’m sure we will have it before the start of the games,” AFN Technical Director Samuel Onikeku said.
The Nigerian made history at the championships last year in Oregon, USA, racing to a new world record time of 12.12secs in the semi-finals, before running 12.06secs in the final to clinch the gold medal and become Nigeria’s first-ever world champion and record holder in athletics.
Before her suspension, the 26-year-old had been in fine form, running a new season’s best of 12.34secs at the Silesia Diamond League meeting in Poland to win her second consecutive race of the season in July, while she also won at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold in Hungary same month.
The AIU is expected to make their decision known before the start of the World Athletics Championships.
Amusan is currently the world record holder in the women’s 100m hurdles.
She claimed the title at the last edition of the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, United States of America.
