Olympics Apologises For Celebrating Blessing Okagbare Despite 11-Year Doping Ban
- The official Olympics social media account apologised after mistakenly featuring Blessing Okagbare despite her 11-year doping ban
- Former British Olympic medallist Kelly Sotherton publicly criticised the post, prompting organisers to remove it
- The incident sparked debate online, with several athletics fans questioning how the mistake was allowed to happen
The official Olympics social media account has apologised after mistakenly featuring former Nigerian sprinter and long jumper Blessing Okagbare, who is currently serving an 11-year ban for multiple anti-doping rule violations.
The post quickly drew criticism from former British Olympic medallist Kelly Sotherton, who questioned how an athlete suspended for doping violations had been highlighted by the Olympic movement.
Source: Getty Images
Sotherton, a two-time Olympic bronze medallist in the heptathlon, took to X to express her disappointment.
"Hi @Olympics. You have a drugs cheat serving a 11 year doping ban as your poster girl... maybe your comms team need to do some clean sport education. It's embarrassing!"
The criticism gained traction among athletics followers before the Olympics account removed the post.
Olympics admits mistake
Responding directly to Sotherton, the official Olympics account acknowledged the error and confirmed the content had been taken down.
"Hi Kelly, thanks for flagging it and apologies for our error. We fixed it as soon as noticed."
The apology was welcomed by some users, although others argued that the mistake should never have happened in the first place.
Athletics community reacts after Olympics apology
Following the apology, several users on X shared mixed reactions to the incident.
@clairestock wrote:
"Ok, you sorted it, but you need to address how it happened in the first place."
Sports journalist @NeilDrysdale added:
"That is shocking. Does anybody do even basic research these days? Okagbare has been banned since 2022. (And, by the way, Scotland's very own Josh Kerr broke the mile world record only last weekend!)."
@JRBulman noticed the correction and posted:
"Looks like they might have changed it!! đź‘Ť"
Responding, @KellySotherton claimed:
"Yeah this was after they tried deleting athlete comments on their Instagram. 🤦🏻‍♀️"
Another user, @neil_last, criticised the governing body, writing:
"Well pointed out Kelly… embarrassing. The IOC go hand in hand… one of the most embarrassing & corrupt sporting organisations on the planet… alongside FIFA… Neither should have anything to do with the sports they're supposed to govern…"
Meanwhile, @arrondownes praised the organisation's response despite the mistake.
"Kudos to @Olympics for publicly owning the error."
@cmacey questioned how the post was approved in the first place.
"It's totally disgraceful they even thought of doing it."
@simonsanders1 also expressed frustration, saying:
"Absolutely moronic! The sport needs to do all it can as so many of us these days doubt what we are seeing, truly staggering."
Reacting to the controversy, @kateaustin496 wrote:
"Bloody hell Kelly! What a huge gaffe!"
Finally, @chesterbells1 commented:
"Well said Kelly - takes me back to the last Scottish Comms at Hampden for the athletics … a great games - apart from that!"
While @andyglg68 questioned the research behind the post:
"How do you get that so wrong? Clearly someone who knows zero about athletics."
And @firth09 concluded:
"That is so poor.... Well done for taking them to task Kelly... totally embarrassing!!!"
Okagbare's anti-doping ban
Okagbare was one of Nigeria's most accomplished athletes, winning medals at the Olympic Games, World Championships, Commonwealth Games and African Championships during an outstanding career.
However, her career came to an abrupt end during the Tokyo Olympics after she tested positive for human growth hormone.
According to ESPN, in February 2022, the Athletics Integrity Unit imposed a 10-year suspension after concluding she had committed multiple anti-doping rule violations and refused to cooperate with investigators.
The sanction was later extended to 11 years following additional violations, effectively ending her elite athletics career, per the BBC.
Nigeria brace for Commonwealth Games medals
Legit.ng previously reported that President Bola Tinubu challenged Team Nigeria to surpass the country's best-ever performance at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The President urged the athletes to compete with honour, discipline and integrity, expressing confidence that the country's representatives possess the talent and determination to make history while proudly representing Nigeria on the international stage.
Source: Legit.ng
