Nigerian top sprinter, Blessing Okagbare has Friday been slammed with a 10-year ban for doping, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced. Okagbare was suspended from the Tokyo Olympics last year on the eve of the women's 100m semi-finals after testing positive for human growth hormone (Hgh) at an out-of-competition drug test in Slovakia in July 2021. “The Disciplinary Tribunal has banned Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare for a total of 10 years,” AIU said in a statement.

The Federal Government has approved November 2nd and 15th, 2022 for the 21st National Sports Festival (NSF) in Asaba, Delta State. Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare disclosed this on Monday in Asaba during the extraordinary National Council on Sports meeting and inauguration of the LOC for hosting the NSF. The minister said Delta State was the best host for the NSF, commending Governor Ifeanyi Okowa's contributions to sports development in the state and Nigeria at large.

Kenya’s world record holder Agnes Tirop, two-times a world championship bronze medalist, has been found dead at her home. The 25-year-old distance runner represented Kenya in the 5,000m event at the Tokyo Olympics and finished fourth in the final after clocking 14:39.62. The country’s athletic body said in a statement on Wednesday said Kenya has lost a jewel. They added that they are still investigating the circumstances surrounding her death, with crime scene investigators at her house on Wednesday. “Athletics Kenya are this afternoon distraught to learn about the untimely death of World 10,000m bronze medalist Agnes Tirop.” “We are still working to unearth more details surrounding her demise. Kenya has lost a jewel who was one of the fastest-rising athletics giants on the international stage, thanks to her eye-catching performances on the track.”

Team Nigeria has recorded its first major success at the ongoing 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games following the winning of gold medal by the country’s powerlifter, Latifat Tijani, who won in the female 45kg event. Tijani defeated China’s Zhe Cui to lift 107kg. She was a gold medallist at the Brazzaville 2015 Africa Games and silver medallist at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, who will also be in the women’s 45kg straight gold medal contest the same day. Before Tijani’s success, one of Nigeria’s para powerlifting medal hope Yakubu Adesokan, missed out to reach the podium in the finals in men’s 49kg powerlifting.

Team Nigeria won a total of seven medals at the just concluded U20 Athletics Championships in Nairobi, Kenya on Sunday. The country’s team won four gold and three bronze medals, finishing third overall on the final medal table, while host nation, Kenya finished at first place with eight gold, one silver, and seven Bronze and Finland in second place with four gold and one silver.

German sportswear manufacturing company, Puma has terminated its N1 billion four-year contract with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) which it had entered in July 2019, in Doha. The contract which was due to expire in 2022 before its termination stated that Puma will supply kits to all age categories to Nigeria’s athletics team for four years.