CS Namwamba contacts World Athletics over Kenya’s move on doping
Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba has said that he has been in touch with World Athletics to persuade them not to ban Kenya and to assure them that the government is doing everything possible to eradicate doping in Kenya.
The CS in a press release said he has conveyed this assurance in a letter to Lord Sebastian Coe, President of the International Association of Athletics Federations.
This comes after there was talk of banning national athletes from international competitions due to an increase in doping rule violations.
Representatives from the World Anti-Doping Agency, World Athletics, and the Athletics Integrity Unit will gather on Friday to discuss the state of doping around the world, with Kenya of particular interest.
Namwamba said the government is taking firm measures to protect and uphold the integrity of athletics and sports in general
“The position of the Republic of Kenya is zero tolerance to doping. Kenya is fully committed to ending the doping menace,” Namwamba said.
He added that the Ministry is looking into all options to ensure that Kenya is taken off the list of Class A doping nations and urged athletes, coaches, and pertinent athletics institutions to cooperate in the fight against doping.
“We cannot allow our nation to be banned because of the actions of some greedy unethical individuals,” he said.
“We will target and deal decisively with the criminals and their syndicates. We must work together to eradicate doping and cheating from athletics and sports in general,” he added.
More than 30 athletes have been banned from competition as a result of breaking these rules in the last year.
Kenya is currently classified by Wada under “Category A,” which stands for the nation with the highest prevalence of doping.