In a test conducted immediately after the competition, her sample provided traces of the diuretics and masking agents amilioride and hydrochlorothiazide, which can unfairly aid weight loss, as well as cause health problems.

"We [have] issued a formal notice of disclosure to an athlete following an adverse analytical finding as a consequence of an in-competition test," said Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Mike Hooper this morning.

"That athlete is Nigerian weightlifter Chika Amalaha who was tested on July 25 and that athlete has now been suspended from the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

"The relevant processes, as detailed in our anti-doping standard for the Games, are now being followed and Ms Amalaha has pursued her right to have her B sample tested.

"This will take place at an accredited laboratory in London tomorrow, July 30, and upon receipt of those results the process will continue."

If the teenager is stripped of her title, gold would instead be awarded to Dika Toua of Papua New Guinea, while Santoshi Matsa of India would be upgraded to silver, and compatriot Swati Singh would take bronze.

Dika Toua of Papua New Guinea would be upgraded to gold if the Nigerian is disqualified ©Getty Images






In addition to the fact that it involves a gold medal winner, today's case is particular significant because of the age of Amalaha, who at 16 is one of the youngest athletes to have been involved in a doping scandal.

It also continues a poor doping record for athletes from Nigeria, with the Delhi 2010 women's 100m champion Oludamola Osayomi among those to have subsequently tested positive, when she failed a test for methylhexanamine.

Nigerian powerlifters Ivory Nwokorie and Folashade Oluwafemiay were also stripped of the gold and silver medals they originally won at London 2012 due to failed tests.

Furthermore, the result is a further blemish on the sport of weightlifting, which, despite some improvement in recent years, has long been one of the most doping-riddled sports at the Olympic and Commonwealth Games.

But when asked if weightlifting's place on the programme is in danger after another controversy, Hooper insisted the sport remains a key component of the Games and a core sport, and sees that as unlikely to change.

Hooper would not comment on the specific case of whether Amalaha was caught as a result of targeted "smart" testing, but added the fact she has been caught at all is a testament to the success of the programme, and of the improvements being made. 

Although this marks the first post-competition positive result of the Games, Welsh 800 metres runner Gareth Warburton and 400m hurdler Rhys Willams have each been suspended from the Welsh team after adverse findings.

Both deny they willingly took banned substances.

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