Nigerian athletes have been advised to stay away from performance-enhancing substances in view of their damaging effects on their lives and sporting career.

A Medical Expert, Dr Femi Ayorinde, gave the advice during a doping enlightenment for coaches and secretaries of the Kwara State Sports Commission in Ilorin.

He warned that taking banned drugs could among other things affect their reproductive systems in the future, stressing that it could also result to abnormal behaviour and serious health consequences.

“Athletes must be careful that the drugs they use do not contain banned substances.

“In the case of prescribed drugs from the hospital, of which you don’t know whether it contains banned substances, you must make application for Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) from the anti-doping agency for clearance,” Ayorinde said.

He also explained that any athlete or coach banned for doping must not be seen training in any stadium all over the world in order not to influence other athletes.

Ayorinde further revealed that any banned coach must not be seen training athletes anywhere and if such happens, the coach and the athletes risked being banned for life.

On local herbs concoction, he warned that anyone who does so is on his own as the nature of such concoction could not be determined at the time of taking it.