Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is expected to conduct testing as the country is on the brink of being banned from global activities for flouting anti-doping rules.
AIU chief executive officer Brett Clothier said the country was on the edge of being banned but the arbitration from the national government and Athletics Kenya saved the situation.
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The AIU is expected to hire an official who will be based in Eldoret in Uasin Gishu County and will be working under the Anti-doping Agency of Kenya (Adak).
Singapore Marathon champion Esther Macharia is one of the victims who AIU has provisionally suspended after she tested positive for the banned substance, testosterone.
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Testosterone boosts athletes’ muscle mass and strength, endurance levels, and faster recovery from injuries hence an unfair advantage to other athletes. However, Macharia timed 2:45:08 to win the Singapore Marathon in December last year, following on from her fourth-place finish at the Grandma’s Marathon in the United States in June.
Alice Aprot, the 2015 Africa 10,000m champion also face a four-year ban for the use of the prohibited substance, Letrozole Metabolite Methanol.
On the list again is Purity Changwony who was dropped from the Kenyan team to the Commonwealth Games after testing positive for 19-norandrosterone and triamcinolone acetonide.
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Clothier’s message to county governments, police, Athletics Kenya, and Adak, among other stakeholders:
“Coming into the grassroots, we are able to know what we are supposed to do at the task force and we have a platform to start with. As athletics stakeholders we all want to see clean sport and there is no other way this can be done,” he said while visiting Nandi County Wednesday.
Nandi Governor Stephen Sang on local leaders, especially from Nandi, Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet:
“I’m happy the head of the AIU has come to the grassroots and listened to athletes and their support personnel. We want clean sport and will support the agency by ensuring we play our role as a county government that interacts with athletes every day. “There are many camps in the athletics concentrated areas and sometimes you never know what happens when inside there and the federation should be checking and regulating them,” added Sang.
AK President Jack Tuwei said that it shall be expensive to used banned substances because regulations will change and the system is getting tighter.
“If we continue in this manner, the world will one day refuse to compete with Kenyans and we don’t want to go in that direction.
London Marathon champion Amos Kipruto challenged athletes to always train hard and follow the right channels adding that jealousy has contributed to the doping menace because they want to get wealth the easy way.
Bishop Kipsoi from AIC from Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County on clean sport:
“Let us follow the right procedures and conduct yourselves in a manner worthy to be an athlete because you represent millions who are looking up to you,” Bishop Kipsoi said.
Elgeyo Marakwet County has been housing more than 5,000 athletes and many have been best in the region due to conducive environment for training.
AIU was initiated in 2017 by World Athletics and they have been focusing on top athletes where they have a registered testing pool and athletes are tested ahead of various events across the globe. However,
The tally as of now is 480 track and field athletes from 85 different countries who are in the testing pool.
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