Nigeria drops drug-tainted coach

The Athletic Federation of Nigeria on Thursday announced the dropping of one of the coaches, American Garfield Ellenwood, from Nigeria’s delegation to the London 2012 Olympics. The decision of the athletics body follows the pressure they received from

higher authorities after The PUNCH’s big story on the coach on July 9.

Ellenwood, the former Bethune-Cookman head track and field coach was given a two-year suspension imposed by the United States Anti-Doping Agency that was announced on January 28, 2010.One of the several publications of the matter in 2008 and 2010 traced his problems to the drug ring involving former disgraced American athlete Marion Jones. But despite his record he was included in the Team Nigeria list to the London Olympics scheduled to begin on July 27.

The Technical Officer of the AFN, Yusuf Alli, said in a statement in Lagos on Thursday that the American who is a personal coach of 2012 African Championships 200m winner, Gloria Asumnu, was dropped following confirmation that Ellenwood previously served a ban for dope related offence.

“The American coach, (Ellenwood), has been confirmed by the federation to have recently been cleared after serving a ban for complicity in a dope related offence. For this, we cannot allow him to be part of our team to the Olympics,” Alli said.

Alli, who is a former Team Nigeria captain insisted that Ellenwood was not contracted by the AFN to be part of the country’s team to the Olympic. “The American is a personal coach of Gloria Asumnu, just the same way we allowed some of our top athletes to also come to camp with their coaches as it is universal practice. That was why they were listed as part of the country’s team to the Olympic.”

He said it was important “to correct the misconception that the AFN was condoning people with questionable backgrounds in the track and field squad to the Olympic.

Culled- Punch

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