The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has scheduled a hearing for the appeal filed by World Athletics, through the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), and the World Anti-Doping Agency against the initial decision of the Disciplinary Tribunal in the case of World Athletics versus Tobi Amusan. The hearing is set for January 19, 2024.
World Athletics and WADA are challenging the Disciplinary Tribunal’s ruling that the athlete did not commit an anti-doping rule violation. The AIU filed its appeal on September 15, 2023, and WADA followed suit two days later, both seeking to have the Nigerian athlete banned for whereabouts failures in 2023.
The AIU had provisionally suspended the 26-year-old Amusan in July, issuing her a notice of charge for an anti-doping rule violation. In a Twitter statement, now X, the AIU announced that the charge would be heard by the Disciplinary Tribunal and determined before the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Previously, the three-member Disciplinary Tribunal had cleared the Nigerian, a former World 100m hurdles champion, of two out of the three whereabouts failures. Subsequently, the AIU lifted the provisional suspension, allowing Amusan, the reigning Commonwealth Games champion and record holder, to compete in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August.
Despite the emotional distress caused by the earlier suspension, Amusan showcased her prowess at the Diamond League final, successfully defending her title against the reigning Olympic champion, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, and the reigning World champion, Danielle Williams.
As she faces the CAS hearing, Amusan, the world record holder in the women’s 100m hurdles, maintains her stance as a clean athlete, emphasizing her regular testing by the AIU. The upcoming hearing will be crucial for the athlete to affirm her commitment to fair play and competition.
