Lightweight boxer and member of the Nigerian Olympics team, Cynthia Ogunsemilore, has been provisionally suspended from the Paris Olympics after testing positive for a banned substance, the International Testing Agency (ITA) announced on Saturday.
Ogunsemilore, the 22-year-old African Games lightweight champion, tested positive for furosemide, a diuretic listed on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) prohibited substances list.
The test was conducted during an out-of-competition doping control on Thursday.
Furosemide is known for its masking properties, which can obscure the presence of other performance-enhancing drugs.
“The athlete has been informed of the case and has been provisionally suspended until the resolution of the matter in line with the World Anti-Doping Code and the International Olympic Committee Anti-Doping Rules,” the ITA stated.
“This means that the athlete is prevented from competing, training, coaching, or participating in any activity during the Olympic Games Paris 2024.”
Ogunsemilore was scheduled to compete in the round of 16 in the women’s 60-kilogram class on Monday.
She was the fourth-seeded boxer in her weight category and had been set to face Taiwan’s Wu Shih Yi.
The suspension has dashed her hopes of competing in the tournament and marks the second positive doping test reported at the Paris Olympics. I
raqi judoka Sajjad Sehen also tested positive for two anabolic steroids earlier this week.
Ogunsemilore’s journey to the Olympics has been a story of resilience and determination.
Raised in Bariga, a tough neighborhood in Lagos known for street fights and gang conflicts, Ogunsemilore’s path to boxing was unconventional.
Despite facing poverty and prejudice, she began boxing at the age of 12 with her father’s support.
Reflecting on her journey, Ogunsemilore once shared with Olympics.com, “I am from Bariga, and boxers from there believe that they don’t have futures, they are like touts.
“Since I started boxing, everything has been hard for me. But as a Bariga girl, I am rugged, I won’t quit.”
Her ascent in the boxing world has been marked by significant achievements, including a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and an unbeaten record at the Africa Boxing Qualifiers in Dakar, which earned her a spot at the Paris Olympics.
“I had it in my dreams that I wanted to go to the Olympics, and I wanted to be an Olympian,” Ogunsemilore said. “I always thought I would just be picked and go to the Olympics direct, not knowing that I was going to face some challenges in and out of the ring.”
The provisional suspension leaves Ogunsemilore with the option to challenge the decision before the Court of Arbitration for Sport – Anti-Doping Division and request an analysis of her B-sample.
The outcome of these proceedings will determine her future in the competition.
