Nigerian boxer Cynthia Ogunsemilore has been provisionally suspended from the Paris 2024 Olympics following a failed drugs test. The 22-year-old tested positive for furosemide, a banned diuretic and masking agent, in an out-of-competition sample collected on 25 July by the International Testing Agency (ITA) on behalf of the International Olympic Committee.
Ogunsemilore, who secured gold at the African Games in Accra earlier this year and a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, faces a significant setback as this suspension precludes her from competing in her Olympic debut. She was scheduled to fight Shih Yi Wu of Chinese Taipei in the 60kg lightweight division on Monday.
While Ogunsemilore has the option to appeal the test result, any decision will not be rendered in time for her participation in the upcoming match. The BBC has reached out to the Nigerian Olympic Committee for a response regarding this development.
This incident marks the second consecutive Olympic Games where a Nigerian athlete has been suspended for doping violations. Sprinter Blessing Okagbare was banned for 11 years following a positive test for human growth hormone during the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
