Medication Stopped My Olympic Dream, Omole

Nigerian featherweight boxer Dolapo Omole, known as King Machine, has said he did not use drugs before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He explained that he was left out of the tournament because of a medication he took without knowing it had a substance banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.

Omole earned his spot at the Paris Games after winning a bronze medal at the 2023 African Championships in Cameroon, a gold medal at the Olympic qualifiers in Senegal, and another gold at the African Games in Ghana.

But he was removed from Nigeria’s team just before the Games. The boxing federation said he had a knee injury, but there were also unconfirmed reports about a doping case.

In an interview with boxersworld.co.ke, the 27-year-old shared that he took medication for his knee injury without knowing it contained a banned substance.

“The mistake is mine, and I want to make it clear I didn’t dope. I took a medication unknowingly, not knowing it was among the banned ones by WADA,” Omole said.

“This was the lowest point in my boxing career. I was so disappointed,” he added.

He explained that he took the medication strictly for treatment and not to boost his performance.

“I was taking medication for a medical condition and, unfortunately, I later realised that it contained a substance that is prohibited under the anti-doping rules. It was never my intention to gain any unfair advantage or enhance my performance. I took the medication for treatment, not for boxing performance,” he said.

Omole said he has become more careful with medications and supplements since the incident.

“As athletes, we are responsible for everything we put into our bodies, and I accept that responsibility. Looking back, I should have been more careful and ensured that every medication I took was checked against the anti-doping regulations before using it. The consequence was heartbreaking because it cost me the opportunity to compete at the Paris Olympics, something I had worked towards for many years.

“It was one of the most disappointing moments of my career, but it also taught me a valuable lesson. Since then, I have become much more careful about every medication or supplement I use, and I remain fully committed to competing clean and earning success the right way,” he said.

His absence from the Paris Games, along with fellow Nigerian boxer Cynthia Ogunsemilore, who was also dropped after a positive doping test, left a big gap in Nigeria’s boxing team. Only heavyweight Adam Olaore represented the country, but he lost 5-0 to Kazakhstan’s Albek Oralbay in an early match.

Omole also missed the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, a setback he said cost him another chance at a medal.

“I would have won Nigeria a gold medal in lightweight if I was there,” he said.

“Having watched the Commonwealth Games, I genuinely believe I would have had a strong chance of winning a gold medal if I had competed in the lightweight division. I say that with confidence because I know the level I was training and the work I had put in leading up to the Games. Of course, in boxing nothing is guaranteed, you still have to perform on the day, but I was confident in my ability to compete with anyone in that field.”

He said missing the Games has pushed him to work harder for his next chance to represent Nigeria.

Omole turned professional in February 2022 and has fought 10 times since then, winning all by knockout. His latest fight was a win over Ghana’s Isaac Nettey in May 2025.

“My goal now is to stay active, continue developing, and get more opportunities to fight on bigger international platforms both in pro and amateur boxing since these have no restrictions,” he said.

Omole is now looking forward to the Africa Elite Men’s and Women’s Boxing Championships in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, from October 18 to 31, 2026, though Nigeria has not yet confirmed its participation in the tournament.