The Nigerian National Record holder in the Men's 200m dash has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unity (AIU) on February 9th for the possession/use or attempted use of a Prohibited Substance.
According to the announcement from the AIU, the alleged violations are based on the investigation conducted on national teammate Blessing Okagbare which resulted in an 11-year ban from the sport. In February 2022, after investigations into Okagbare's 2021 failed drug test and information reviewed from the United States Department of Justice's case against US-based doctor Eric Lira who intended to provide performance-enhancing drugs to athletes during the Tokyo Olympics, the committee determined that she was the main athlete involved in the doping case as "Athlete 1".
An additional athlete was mentioned, identified as "Athlete 2", but at the time little information was given about them. The AIU is alleging that Oduduru is "Athlete 2" from this case and has suspended him. The committee is seeking a hefty six-year ban for the Nigerian sprinter based on these allegations.
Divine Oduduru has not completed since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 where he reached the semifinals of the 200m dash and was disqualified for a false start in the semifinals of the 100m dash. He sat out the entire 2022 season citing injury. Oduduru joins the list of Nigerian athletes facing potential bans for drug use. The list includes fellow sprinter Grace Nwokocha and jumper David Aya.
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