Glasgow 2014 C/W Games: Nigerian weightlifter Chika Amalaha fails drugs test

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The 16-year-old Nigerian won the gold medal in the 53kg competition on Saturday (July 26) but tested positive shortly afterwards.

The athlete has now requested a B sample but has already been awarded a formal notice of disclosure and been provisionally suspended.

Her A sample was found to contain both amilioride and hydrochlorothiazide, which are both prohibited as diuretics and masking agents under the WADA code.

These substance can unfairly aid weight loss, while they could also adversely affect health Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Mike Hooper says, “It is an early stage in the process and no presumption has been made at all. We are talking about the A sample. The athlete has requested a B sample and that will come through tomorrow”.

Hooper will not comment on the specific case of whether Amalaha was caught as a result of targeted, “smart” testing, but he says it is a testament to the success of the programme.

He also still sees weightlifting as a key part of the Commonwealth Games programme and denies that its place is under threat after the latest in a long line of doping controversies.

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