Kwara states position on banned Muritala’s presence at Benin 2023 Golden League

Banned: Coach Hammid Muritala

• ‘We suspended coach over doping saga long ago’

Kwara State Sports Commission, yesterday, exonerated itself from any blame in the doping saga involving track and field coach, Hammid Muritala, who was banned by the Nigeria Anti-Doping Committee in 2021 for violating anti-rules rules.

Muritala was banned 10 years for admitting to aiding junior athlete, Fatimah Abdulazziz, in her dope scandal during the National Youth Games held in Ilorin, Kwara State. But he was reportedly seen coaching Kwara athletes at the AFN Golden League held in Benin City last Thursday.

Consequent upon the development, the AFN, at the weekend, suspended Kwara Athletics Association from its activities.

In a statement, the AFN said: “The action amounts to violation of Rule 2.9 of World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules. The Kwara AA shall remain suspended, pending the outcome of further investigation.”

However, Chairman of Kwara State Sports Commission, Bolakale Mogaji, an ex-athlete, told The Guardian in a telephone conversation, yesterday, that his commission had suspended coach Muritala from all their events six months ago.

“We actually suspended the coach over six months ago after we got a letter from the Nigeria anti-doping committee,” he said.

Magaji was a former 100m and 200m runner, but later competed as a squash player for Kwara, when he sustained injury. He won gold and silver medals for Team Kwara at Rivers ‘88 and Lagos ‘89 editions of the National Sports Festival.

According to him, coach Muritala’s presence at last week’s AFN Golden League in Benin City was not authorised by Kwara Sports Commission.

“The team was supposed to leave for Benin City on June 14, but they left on June 12. When I got the information that they