Fulbright scholar and winner of two Olympics gold medals, Lee Edward Evans has been banned from coaching athletes for four years after the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Anti-Doping Committee found him guilty of giving a young athlete performance enhancing drugs.
Evans, an American and gold medallist at the 1968 Olympic Games is a consultant to Lagos State Government on sports. He set a world record of 43.83 seconds in the 400 meters race in that event and went on win another gold medal anchoring the 4 x 400 race, setting another world record of 2.56.16.
According to a release on the website of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria website, athleticsnigeria.com , the coach confessed to giving performance enhancing drugs to a minor. Evans was banned alongside Coach Abass Rauf who was slammed with a life ban.
The panel headed by Ken Anugweje, with Femi Ayorinde and Eric Cambell as members discharged and acquitted the third accused Tony Osheku.
The athlete, a minor whose name was not given told the panel that Abass took her to a medical doctor who injected her with an unknown substance despite the fact that she was not sick.
She claimed she collapsed after the injection and when she was revived, she asked the coach why he brought her to be injected and he said she should have confidence in him that he could not harm her. He also warned her not to disclose what happened to anyone although she confided in her mother.
She revealed that Evans introduced her to supplements and amino acid and a sport drink when she was in Lagos State training camp.
Osheku told the panel he was not aware that Evans gave the athlete any substance whether prohibited or not.
Evans admitted he gave the athlete supplements (amino acid complete and metaboliq infusions) between February and March 2013. He tendered the supplements he gave to the athlete and concluded that he gave the athlete the substance because women need supplements for their health and that the substance given were not prohibited.
Abass admitted he took the athlete to their family doctor for treatment for malaria when she complained of feeling feverish but she was never injected by the doctor, rather she was given tablets.
On cross examination, Abass contradicted himself by saying that the injection was given in the doctor’s apartment and not in the hospital.
The panel concluded that Evans and Abass gave the athlete performance enhancing substances and that these substances may have been responsible for the analytical findings in her urine.
The panel was convinced that the analytical finding in her urine was not due to her fault or negligence and having provided substantial assistance to the panel by mentioning the coaches who gave her the subtances.
The panel established that Evans gave the athlete supplements without the knowledge of the medical doctor and assistant coach attached to the Lagos State athletics team, and concluded that it is not impossible that the substances he gave to the athlete could have been laced with prohibited substances found in the athlete’s urine.
The panel therefore recommended a four year ineligibility period taking effect from date of hearing February 17, 2014 for the legendary athlete.
Abass, on the other hand, was found guilty of administration of prohibited substance to a minor athlete without being sick.
The panel said he tried to conceal the truth by lying thereby attempting to mislead it.