The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has provisionally suspended Ugandan star athlete Prisca Chesang over doping violations.
Chesang tested positive for Furosemide, a substance listed as prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Furosemide is known for its potential use by athletes to mask the presence of performance-enhancing drugs in urine or to facilitate rapid weight loss.
The suspension will remain in effect until a comprehensive investigation and disciplinary process are concluded.
Chesang’s positive test occurred during the 2023 World Road Running Championship in Riga, Latvia, where she finished 18th in the mile competition.
According to AIU, a provisional suspension is when an Athlete or other person is suspended temporarily from participating in any competition or activity in Athletics before a final decision.
Prisca Chesang, a 20-year-old two-time world U20 bronze medalist in the women’s 5,000m.
She is considered a rising star in women’s athletics. However, her suspension will undoubtedly have a substantial impact on her promising career.
Chesang is remembered for representing Uganda at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the women’s 5,000m but failed to advance from the heats.
Her top senior championship finish was a seventh-place result at the 2023 world cross-country championship in Bathurst, Australia, helping Uganda’s women’s team win bronze.
Her suspension comes barely three months after her colleague Janat Chemusto, a middle-distance runner was also provisionally suspended by AIU due to a doping violation.
She had tested positive for the prohibited substance 19-Norandrosterone.
After further investigations, Chemusto was handed a four-year ban for failing to challenge the assertion of Anti-Doping Rule Violations.
Benjamin Njia, the UAF national coach and vice president of technical was hesitant to comment on the matter.
“I do not have any comment for now because some other investigations are going on, even our mother’s investigations are going on.” He said
UAF President Dominic Otuchet said that the Federation has done a lot to avoid doping but he was unaware that such could happen.
He says a lot has been done to educate athletes including employing a doctor to do anti-doping seminars.
According to article 59 of the 2023 National Sports Act, an athlete who uses, consumes, or has in his or her possession a substance or uses a method of sport banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency commits an offense and shall be subject to the sanctions of the World Anti-Doping Agency.
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