DOPING TEST A PREREQUISITE FOR ALL MARATHON ATHELETS
By Trek Africa Newspaper
Doping Test is the first step organisers of competitions should conduct for their main contenders, like defending champions and new challengers to record holders. There are plethora of cases where a winner would have been announced, with all the ceremonies and fanfares from dignitaries in attendance and eventually a presentation of the prize money by a public figure, in plenty of cases presidents, governors are invited to do these presentations, only for the winner to fail a doping test.
These occurrences are not only Embarrassing, and has become one too many, failure to be intentional on conducting such anti Doping test, defeats the purpose of the competition in the first place, and anyone announced as the winner, does not deserve such prize money neither the title.
Organisers spend a fortune to organise, plan an event, but fail to provide the machines for detection or Doping control officers to conduct doping test on all A- listed participants as a criteria for participation in the first place. These fundamental failure gives the impression that the organisers are not gravitating towards giving the prize money to the best deserving and most qualified winner whose skills was as a result of physical strength, trainings void of injections or stimulating substances.
A major factor sponsor’s in any championship is discovering of a talent that can equate world athletes when similar championship is hosted outside Nigeria.
Nigeria is blessed with a generation of raw talents who can dare to defeat other countries if the right facilities and sponsorship are in place. These young girls and boys are not given a platform to showcase themselves through government involvement at all levels to provide the required equipments, sponsorship and mentoring.
Everyday on the streets of Nigeria, for any sport lover, you will find a groups of young persons who are thriving daily, using sand fills, inaccurate machines, to keep their dreams of becoming world record holders, they engage in sports training, especially football. There are different locations in open fields were local footballs take place. You can agree with me that such places has birthed great sports champions. These local leagues are formed out of little or nothing to get their love for football aflame. One wonders why officials in sports commissions drive along major streets without observing these youngsters. I call on the authorities concerned to do more by catching them young when they are still energetic to properly engaged and these wasting talents, it will give these amateurs a sense of belonging that the mental picture of their various heros can be replicated in them.
Nigeria has produced world champions living legends and memories of those now robbed in white . Their stories and struggles of attaining greatness cannot be written off. It took their passion for sports to bring their dreams alive. In their capacity and toughness, these superstars brought glory to Nigeria despite Nigeria’s ineptitude towards sports investment.
Sports is the most popular physical activity. It brings enemies together. It unites the world through peaceful gathering because during the competition, everyone settles for its best players or hails its own country. At the end of the game, you can see enemies making up because a good match was worth the time.
Marathon has been known as a game for the East Africans. Their location has prevailed in their constant winning. Aside the location of their country the adaptation of their bodies, aid the East Africans and they have remained marathon emeritus with consistency with long runs winnings and they have not drifted away, these title is firmly their birth right, they are a delight to watch,anytime they are on the race of marathon. Their legs are never tired. There is a coordination of their physical and mental alertness, that is a persistent movement in all their athletes. However a number of them in recent times has been fingered to have failed the Doping test and eventually banned.
Marathon is not a well known sports in Nigeria. Nigeria has never qualified for the world stage, in marathon, despite having young boys who can challenge the East Africans headlong if the right awareness is attempted.
Lagos City International marathon sponsored by Access Bank, have started discovering talents in these East Africa dominated games. Competitions have been conducted by Lagos State and by other states too. Private companies have also conducted marathons, which had the East Africans coming to Nigeria to win the prize money. It is a welcome development. But apart from winning, Nigeria sports echelon need to do much more in synchronisation of interested athletes who want to take up marathon as a form of sports.
As the sport federations and commissions usher in 2023, like all other world sporting countries have done, doping test for athletes should be made a priority for participation or enrollment. There have been series of complaints against marathon organisers that doping test are never conducted and participants inject themselves with all manner of substances to propel them, thereby stimulating their performance. Foul plays like these is a criminal offence and doping test if conducted will fish out substance abusers who only want the prize money without the spirit of the game, which is giving the audience a good entertainment and play for their precious time.
As more competitions are slated for 2023,for fun and talent hunt, the purpose of a true spirit of sportsmanship would be vitiated if the games are allowed to proceed without ostracising substance abuser.
