A Texas man was charged Wednesday with giving performance-enhancing drugs to Olympic athletes.
Eric Lira distributed drugs to athletes who competed in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, including star Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare, according to The Associated Press. Lira, 41, is the first person to be charged under a new anti-doping law governing international sports competitions called the Rodchenkov Act.
The drugs Lira distributed include human growth hormone and erythropoietin, a blood-building hormone. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan said Lira distributed the drugs "for the purpose of corrupting" the Olympics. He's also accused of bringing "misbranded" drugs from Central and South America to the United States before distributing them to athletes, according to CBS DFW.
Okagbare was named as "athlete 1" in the criminal complaint against Lira, but details about her performance in specific races made it clear she was one of Lira's clients. Okagbare's cell phone was searched by authorities and they found she was in frequent communication with Lira using an encrypted app, according to CBS DFW.
One of Okagbare's messages to Lira read, "Is it safe to take a test this morning? Remember I took it Wednesday and then yesterday again. I wasn’t sure so I didn’t take a test."