Athletes from Kwara have been told to stay off drugs, ahead of the National Youth Games scheduled from Dec. 5 to Dec 15 in Abuja.

Johnson Abiodun, the Head Coach, Kwara State Athletics Association, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone on Monday in Ilorin.

Abiodun said that there was need to discourage youths from doping because they were at the prime of their careers. He urged the athletes to engage in personal examination, to ensure they were free of banned substances because some athletes were ignorant of the supplements they took.

"It is important we begin to tackle the issue of doping at this level. The National Youth Games is around the corner and athletes need to remain clean. This is the level where the future of Nigeria's athletics lie and it's important we start getting things right from this level.

"I'll advise that these athletes conduct some self-examination before the competition, so that they don't tarnish their careers with drugs," he said.

Abiodun also appealed to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) to ensure that the event was drug free.

"I want to also appeal to the AFN to create an enabling environment that would guarantee a drug-free Games come December in Abuja," Abiodun said.

According to the coach, doping is a huge disadvantage on the career of an athlete because it could prevent the athlete from being consistent.