The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) says it has signed off on all outstanding critical and high priority corrective actions required of Nigeria following its review of the National Antidoping Committee, NADC’s continous monitoring programme, corrective action plan and its efforts to address same. This piece of good news is contained in two separate letters dated August 2nd and 4th, 2021 and addressed to the NADC. ‘Following the review of your continous monitoring programme, corrective action plan and your responses to address the required critical and high priority corrective actions, we are pleased to inform you that WADA has concluded that your organisation has appropriately addressed all critical corrective actions,’ read the first letter while the second, specifically addressed to the head of NADC, Dr Fadekemi Fadeyibi delivered the cheering news.
”Following the latest developments, we have signed off in the CCC the remaining critical corrective action. Therefore the relevant compliance procedure has now been closed,’ read the second letter. By implication, Nigeria has satisfactorily addressed all the non-conformities identified with its national antidoping programme and code compliance which led to the country’s delisting by WADA on 6th December, 2018. Although WADA reinstated Nigeria shortly after following its recognition of some initial steps taken by NADC, the implementation of these corrective actions were deemed outstanding until the recent acknowledgment of satisfactory implementation by WADA. Nigeria was declared a non-compliant code signatory in December 2018 for deficiencies identified in NADC’s national antidoping programme and required to implement some critical corrective actions.

What is left now is for a legislative backing and this could not have come at a better time as the House Representatives Committee on Sports will be holding a public hearing to address the non-eligibility of 10 Nigerian athletes to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in July and August. The committee has been enjoined to expedite action on the establishment of a legislatively backed National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO) which remains the key outstanding action required to elevate Nigeria’s code compliance and make Nigeria’s anti-doping administration comparable with key NADOs in the African region namely the South African and Kenyan NADOs.

The committee has also invited the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare to come and shed light on what happened in Tokyo but athletics watchers are asking the committee to also invite the immediate past board of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria recognised by both World Athletics and the Athletics Integrity Unit as the governing body for track and field in Nigeria to come and explain why it neither appointed a qualified anti-doping officer nor set up an antidoping committee for four years.
Women’s Soccer League rocked by claims of sexual abuse
Paul Riley has been sacked as head coach of National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team North Carolina Courage after he was accused of sexual coercion spanning multiple teams and leagues over a decade, while league commissioner Lisa Baird has resigned. Former NWSL players Sinead Farrelly and Meleana Shim spoke out against the 58-yearold to The Athletic. Farrelly claims that the harassment began in 2011 when she played for Philadelphia Independence of the Women’s Professional Soccer League and continued when she joined the NWSL’s Portland Thorns in 2014, both managed by Riley. She says that she was “under his control” and was coerced into having sex with Riley. In 2015, Riley was under investigation for inappropriate conduct. Farrelly claims he “made harrassing comments about my personal relationships and sexual orientation” which he was not scrutinised for. Riley was removed as head coach of the Portland Thorns following the investigation but was later announced as the manager of the North Carolina Courage. Shim said: “I felt from the beginning like I owed him.” In one instance, Riley allegedly led Shim and Farrelly back to his flat after a night of drinking and asked them to kiss each other for him in exchange for the team not having to do a gruelling conditioning exercise. U.S. Soccer has suspended the Englishman’s coaching license following the report.

Massari pledges to do more after being returned as Cycling Federation president
President of Nigeria Cycling Federation, Chief Giadomenico Massari has pledged to do more for the sport in the country. Massari spoke after being returned as President of the sports federation in a hitch free election held last week at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja. Massari, a sports philanthropist and sponsor was returned as president of the Cycling Federation of Nigeria for another four years. Engr Massari was voted overwhelmingly by the 15 Board members accredited for the exercise on the strength of his selfless service to reposition the sport of cycling in Nigeria. In his acceptance speech, Massari thanked the Board members for the confidence reposed in him as he urged the new Board members to support his efforts by contributing their quota to making the sport one of the best in the country. “Top of my priority is planning and training. To succeed we must plan our programmes and train not only our athletes but the officials. We must also relate with the international bodies to raise our standards, get courses for our Commissaires and coaches to improve the standard of the sport in Nigeria. The president who is doing his two term disclosed that the country has qualified for the first time for the World Championship in track, stressing that “we have a Velodrome that is a blessing but it was grounded for a very long time.” Also elected unopposed as Vice President of the CFN, is Dr. Ago Habu Abdulrahman representing the North East constituency