The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) wasted no time in taking action following the Disciplinary Tribunal’s decision regarding Nigerian athlete Tobi Amusan’s alleged “Whereabouts Failures.”
Last Friday, on September 15th, the AIU filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within the approved timeframe.
However, the AIU chose a rather discreet approach, announcing the appeal only on Monday through a brief statement on its X page, formerly known as Twitter.
Remarkably, AIU’s public acknowledgment of the appeal against Amusan occurred just 24 hours after her exceptional performance in Eugene, Oregon, where she secured her third consecutive Diamond League trophy.
The AIU statement reads as follows:
“The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has today filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the Disciplinary Tribunal’s decision, dated 17 August 2023, that Tobi Amusan did not commit an anti-doping rule violation for Whereabouts Failures.
“The AIU will make no further comment on the matter until the conclusion of the appeal.”
This latest move by the AIU poses another hurdle for the World Record hurdler as CAS would either overturn the Disciplinary Tribunal’s decision and impose a sanction on her or affirm the innocence of the star Nigerian athlete, popularly called Tobi Express.
In the build-up to the World Championship held in Budapest, Amusan, who then was the defending champion and world record holder in the 100m hurdles, was facing a possible four-year ban after being adjudged to have wrongfully missed three out-of-competition drug tests in 12 months.
However, the disciplinary tribunal ruled in August that Amusan had a valid excuse for missing the tests and that she had not committed an anti-doping rule violation.
When the ruling was delivered a few days before the commencement of the championship in Budapest, the AIU said that it was disappointed with the disciplinary tribunal’s decision and that it believed that Amusan should be sanctioned for missing the tests.
The AIU said such a ruling is capable of setting a bad precedence and thus its appeal.
If CAS overturns the disciplinary tribunal’s decision, it would be a major setback for Amusan.
She could miss the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, and she could also be unable to compete in any other major competitions during the period of her suspension.
The AIU’s appeal to CAS is a fresh hurdle for Amusan, and it is unclear how long it will take for CAS to make a decision. Amusan is allowed to participate in competitions unless the CAS rules against her.
The Nigerian star has insisted that she is a clean athlete with nothing to hide, and many are confident she would be vindicated once more and her Olympic dream will not be jeopardised. Just as she has defeated her challengers in major hurdles competitions in recent years, Amusan will now hope to clear the AIU appeal hurdle.
