A second doping case hits Commonwealth Games [October 12 2010]

A second doping case has cropped in as many days at the Commonwealth Games, again involving a Nigerian runner. Samuel Okon, who was sixth in the 110-meter hurdles final last Friday, tested positive for the banned stimulant Methylhexaneamine, Commonwealth Games Federation President Mike Fennell said Tuesday.

"I again regret to inform you that we've had a second anti-doping violation," said Fennell, who has had to preside over the most trouble-plagued edition in Commonwealth Games history.

But unlike the issues that affected the preparations leading up to the games, and those glitches and setbacks that have appeared since the opening on Oct. 3, the problem of doping is out of the control of the federation and the local organizers.

Methylhexaneamine is the same substance that was found in women's 100-meter champion Osayomi Oludamola's "A" sample last week. It was also found in about a dozen Indian athletes in recent months. "We ourselves are concerned by the number of incidents that have cropped up with this same substance," Fennell said, noting that the Nigerian team was also investigating.

"We have already had discussions with the leadership of the Nigerian team, who are themselves very, very concerned about this matter," Fennell said. "We are satisfied that they are taking this very seriously."

The World Anti-Doping Agency recently loosened the classification of Methylhexaneamine for next year to the "specified stimulant" list, meaning athletes can get off with a warning for inadvertent use of the substance. But that won't be in effect until 2011.

"Each year on the first of January, it becomes effective a new list," Fennell said. "We are operating on the 2010 list." Because of the problems and issues that likely could have been avoided in the run-up to the event, media from around the world have often been critical of the games in New Delhi. But organizing committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi refused to be drawn into a discussion about reporting of the event.