Texas-based naturopathic therapist, Eric Lira, admitted to supplying Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare with performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Lira also provided fellow Nigerian Divine Oduduru with the PEDs.
“I gave performance-enhancing drugs to Okagbare.”
US therapist pleads guilty in Okagbare’s Olympic doping case – Daily Trust
— Anti-Doping Database (@Dopinglist) May 9, 2023
Blessing Okagbare suspended for doping rule violation … to Olympic athletes including banned Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare, US authorities�…https://t.co/Ql1FZB5KuC
Okagbare has been banned for 11 years, Oduduru faces up to a six-year ban and Lira up to 10 years in prison. He is the first American to be charged and convicted under the Rodchenkov Act, named after Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov.
“Lira provided banned performance-enhancing substances to Olympic athletes, who wanted to corruptly gain a competitive edge,” he said.
“Such craven efforts to undermine the integrity of sport subverts the purpose of the Olympic Games – which is to showcase athletic excellence through a level playing field.
“Lira’s efforts to pervert that goal will not go unpunished.”
“Without this law, Lira, who held himself out as a doctor to athletes, likely would have escaped consequence for his distribution of dangerous performance-enhancing drugs and his conspiracy to defraud the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games because he did not fall under any sport anti-doping rules,” said Travis Tygart, CEO of the US Anti-Doping Agency.
