Nigerian boxer Cynthia Temitayo Ogunsemilore has been suspended from the Paris Olympics for violating an anti-doping rule, the International Testing Agency (ITA) announced on Saturday.
“A sample collected from the boxer has returned an adverse analytical finding for the specified prohibited substance furosemide,” the ITA said in a statement. Furosemide is classified under “diuretics and masking agents” by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), according to the ITA.
The sample was collected in Paris on Thursday, a day before the Olympics opening ceremony, and reported by a WADA-accredited laboratory on Saturday. “The athlete has been informed of the case and has been provisionally suspended until the resolution of the matter,” the agency added. “This means that the athlete is prevented from competing, training, coaching, or participating in any activity, during the Olympic Games Paris 2024.”
Ogunsemilore has the right to challenge her provisional suspension at the Court of Arbitration and can also request an analysis of the B sample. The 22-year-old boxer, who competes in the under 60 kg category, was scheduled to debut at the Olympics on Monday.
Since the start of the Games, two other athletes have been suspended. The ITA announced Friday that Iraqi judoka Sajjad Sehen tested positive for banned anabolic steroids. Additionally, Dominican volleyball player Lisvel Eve Mejia tested positive for furosemide.
