The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has provisionally suspended Nigerian athlete Tobi Amusan over alleged missed drug tests, according to a statement posted on the AIU’s Twitter account on Wednesday.
In the statement, the AIU confirmed that Tobi Amusan has been charged and provisionally suspended for three “Whereabouts Failures.”
The case will be brought before the Disciplinary Tribunal and decided prior to the commencement of the World Athletics Championships.
Earlier, Amusan took to her social media platforms to disclose the charges brought against her by the AIU.
The 26-year-old athlete stated that the AIU accused her of violating its rule by missing three tests within a 12-month period.
Asserting her status as a clean athlete, Amusan vowed to contest the allegations. She also emphasized that she was “tested within days” of the alleged third missed test.
“Today, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has charged me with an alleged rule violation for having three missed tests in 12 months,” Amusan expressed in her statement.
“I intend to fight this charge and will have my case decided by a tribunal of 3 arbitrators before the start of next month’s World Championships.”
The AIU has informed that Amusan’s charges will be presented before the disciplinary tribunal and determined prior to the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Hungary.
According to the AIU’s regulations, an athlete who fails to comply with testing requirements within a 12-month period is considered to have committed an anti-doping rule violation.
The penalty for such a violation includes a two-year suspension, which may be reduced to a minimum of one year based on the degree of fault.