The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeal filed by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) against the decision to clear Nigerian hurdler Tobi Amusan of an anti-doping rule violation. The CAS panel unanimously acknowledged that Amusan committed two filing failures but did not confirm the existence of a missed test, which would have been the third whereabouts failure within a 12-month period.
In July 2023, the AIU had initially handed Amusan a provisional suspension for allegedly “missing three tests in 12 months.” Her case was then transferred to a disciplinary tribunal in August 2023, where a majority decision ruled that Amusan “has not committed an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) of three whereabouts failures within 12 months.”
The World Athletics (WA) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had appealed the tribunal’s decision, seeking a two-year period of ineligibility for Amusan. However, the CAS panel dismissed both appeals, confirming the original decision and clearing Amusan of the ADRV.
According to World Athletics’ anti-doping rules, any athlete failing to declare their whereabouts for a doping test on three occasions over a 12-month period is ineligible to compete for two years. Amusan, who set the world record of 12.12 seconds in the 2022 World Championships, finished sixth in the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – AUGUST 07: Tobi Amusan of Nigeria reacts to winning gold in the women’s 100m Hurdles final during Athletics Track & Field on day ten of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games at Alexander Stadium on August 7, 2022 on the Birmingham, United Kingdom. (Photo by Steve Christo – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
The CAS decision represents a significant victory for Amusan, who can now continue her athletic career without the burden of the anti-doping violation. The ruling also highlights the importance of due process and the need for clear evidence in anti-doping cases, even for high-profile athletes.
