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Gateway Games: Six Athletes Banned

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Nigerian boxers, Cynthia Ogunsemilore and Dolapo Omole as well as four other athletes have been banned from competing at the 2024 National Sports Festival in Ogun State, as they are currently serving doping bans, PUNCH Online reports.

The National Sports Commission issued a caution that registered athletes with anti-doping issues cannot compete for scoring medals at the ongoing National Sports Festival, tagged the Gateway Games 2024.

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The NSC made it clear after a strategic joint meeting of the Main Organising Committee and the Local Organising Committee of the Games on Monday.

The Commission announced that this is in line with global best practices and the World Anti-Doping Agency code.

READ ALSO: NSF: Team Edo Fully Prepared To Succeed, Sports Commission Boss Declares

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NSC DG, Bukola Olopade charged all the participating states to take note of this and reiterated the commission’s commitment to ensuring that every athlete competes very cleanly.

“The issue of anti-doping is one important mandate of the Commission to ensure that Nigeria is devoid of drug problems at both domestic and international competitions.

“We are happy now that the National anti-doping law has finally been passed by our sports-loving President, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and the ripple effect of such a landmark feat must swiftly be felt in our sports, starting with the current National Sports Festival”, he said.

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Ogunsemilore was provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned substance ahead of her opening fight at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

READ ALSO: NSF: Medal Haul Begins As Team Lagos Ein Women’s Weightlifting Gold

The 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist and African Games champion tested positive for furosemide, a diuretic on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list, in an out-of-competition doping control.

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Other banned athletes are Marcus Okon, representing Akwa Ibom state in para-athletics, Ayabeke David Opeyemi, representing Bayelsa state in gymnastics, Kareem Shukurat, representing Lagos state in kick-boxing and Animashaun Sofia representing Lagos state in Para powerlifting.

Ogunsemilore and Omole, who got their dooping bans in boxing were registered to represent Bayelsa state in kick-boxing.

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Tobi Amusan Hits Season’s Best At Paris Diamond League

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Nigeria sprint icon, Tobi Amusan has emerged as the winner of the Diamond League trophy for a third consecutive time.

World record holder Tobi Amusan delivered a powerful performance at the 2025 Paris Diamond League on Friday, recording a season-best 12.24 seconds in the women’s 100m hurdles to secure a strong second-place finish.

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This marks the Nigerian star’s second-fastest time ever, trailing only her world record of 12.12s set in 2022.

Amusan surged in the final stretch, narrowing the gap on the USA’s Grace Stark, who had an explosive start and clinched victory with a lifetime best and meet record of 12.21s—making her the fifth-fastest woman in history over the distance. Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent followed closely in third, clocking 12.30s.

READ ALSO: Amusan Fails To Reach Olympic Women’s 100m Hurdles Final

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The race in Paris was a thrilling continuation of Amusan’s resurgent 2025 campaign. After beginning the season with a pair of fourth-place finishes in Xiamen (12.74s) and Shaoxing (12.66s), she rebounded in style, winning the Rabat leg of the Diamond League in 12.45s—a season-best at the time and a meet record.

Paris marked Amusan’s fourth Diamond League appearance this season, and the consistency she’s building suggests she is rounding into peak form just as major international competitions approach.

She faced a stacked field that included the likes of former world silver medallist Keni Harrison, Jamaican rising talent Ackera Nugent, Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska, Dutch national champion Nadine Visser, Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas, and the in-form Diamond League leader, Grace Stark.

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Despite the fierce competition, Amusan showcased her experience and rising form, finishing strong and scoring valuable points in the race toward the Diamond League Finals in Zurich.

She now sits fourth on the Diamond League leaderboard with 10 points, trailing Stark (23), Danielle Williams (15), and Marione Fourie (12).
(VANGUARD)

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Enabulele Hails Edo-born Athletes’ International Feats

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The Executive Chairman of the Edo State Sports Commission, Hon. Amadin Desmond Enabulele, has expressed delight over the outstanding performance of Edo athletes representing Nigeria on the international stage.

Enabulele, while describing the athletes as worthy ambassadors of the state and the country in general, singled out the impressive participation of seven Edo kickboxing athletes in Team Nigeria at the African Union Kickboxing Championship in Cameroon.

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In a congratulatory message signed by his media aide, Edoko Wilson Edoko, Enabulele lauded the accomplishments of Flora Ugwunwa and Christopher Michael, who clinched gold medals at the 2025 World Para Athletics (WPA) Grand Prix in Tunis, Tunisia.

READ ALSO: NPFL: Go For Victory, Enabulele Tasks Bendel Insurance FC

INFO DAILY reports that Ugwunwa bagged gold in the F54 women’s shot put and discus events, while Michael emerged victorious in the T11 men’s 100m event.

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He said: “The remarkable performance of the country’s para-athletes in Tunisia, where Nigeria finished second overall out of 42 participating nations with 10 gold, 6 silver, and 3 bronze medals, is highly commendable.”

The Edo sports boss, while recalling the impressive performance of Team Edo during the recently concluded National Sports Festival (Ogun 2024), where Edo kickboxers secured 20 gold medals, said the feat which earned many of them national call-ups.

READ ALSO: Priotize Okpebholo’s ‘Catch Them Young’ Initiative, Enabulele Charges Sports Association Chairmen

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Enabulele reaffirmed the Commission’s unwavering commitment to grassroots sports development and consistent support for para-athletes and other promising talents who continue to bring pride to Edo State and Nigeria.

“I’m proud of our athletes. Flora, Christopher, and our kickboxing team have done exceptionally well. This is what we want to see—Edo athletes in large numbers representing Nigeria at global events,” he emphasized.

Enabulele added that the achievements of Edo athletes reflect the deliberate investments in sports development by the current administration.

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Full List: Maresca No Longer Needs Nine Players At Chelsea

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Chelsea are preparing for another major squad overhaul this summer, with as many as nine players set to leave Stamford Bridge.

New manager Enzo Maresca is keen to trim the squad further, targeting players who no longer fit into his long-term plans.

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According to BBC Sport, the Italian tactician has identified nine players who are now available for transfer.

READ ALSO: VIDEO: Chelsea Women Dance To Viral ‘Shake Body’ Song After FA Cup Win

The players reportedly on the exit list include Raheem Sterling, Axel Disasi, Djordje Petrovic, Armando Broja, João Félix, Renato Veiga, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka and Lesley Ugochukwu.

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Sterling and Félix were both omitted from Chelsea’s squad for the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. Sterling, who spent last season on loan at Arsenal, struggled to make an impression at the Emirates and failed to secure a permanent move.

Félix, meanwhile, was on loan at AC Milan from January until the end of the campaign, but the Serie A club have reportedly decided against making the deal permanent.

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