Disqualified Ogunsemilore denies doping, as Aruna, Omotayo lose in first round

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Nigeria’s female boxer, Cynthia Ogunsemilore, has denied allegations of ingesting banned substances, which resulted in her disqualification from the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Team Nigeria’s camp was rocked at the weekend when the news broke that Ogunsemilore, a southpaw boxer, had been disqualified by the International Testing Agency (ITA) for testing positive for the banned Diuretic Furosemide in a sample taken on Friday, July 26.

While denying the allegation, she insisted on another test to prove her innocence.

“This looks like a setup to tarnish my image and deny me a chance to win an Olympic gold. I have never doped in my life, maybe they mistook someone else’s sample for mine,” she told sportsvillagesqure.com.

“They want to ruin my career, I’m still in the Games Village and tonight there’s a hearing during which I’ll explain to them that I have not taken anything and they can test me again and I’ll prove them wrong.”

Nigeria’s coach in Paris, Adura Olalehin, who’s a light-heavyweight bronze medallist at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, is still mum on the issue, while probably leading the onslaught to prove Cynthia’s innocence.

Team Nigeria’s campaign at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games got off to the worst possible start with the Super Falcons losing their opening game against Brazil on Wednesday before Ogunsemilore’s provisional suspension on Friday.

Furosemide is a masking agent that can hide the presence of other drugs. The ITA said the 22-year-old African Games lightweight champion, who also won bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, has been provisionally suspended and cannot take part in the Olympics.

“The athlete has been informed of the case and has been provisionally suspended