Ministry of Sports to discuss the growing doping cases within athletics in Kenya

Nairobi, Kenya: The Ministry of Sports will organised a one-day seminar at Safaricom Stadium in Kasarani today to discuss the growing list of doping cases within athletics in the country.

National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) Chairman Kipchoge Keino confirmed that the Government is concerned over the escalating cases of doping in the country, which threaten to go out of control with AK appearing unable to stem them.

"The Government's response and that of Nock will be known tomorrow (today) after the meeting at Kasarani. It is not a small matter and we must take it seriously and bring to book all the people who are involved.

"Doping goes beyond athletes. It involves others in the chain like coaches, agents, doctors and pharmacists. If we punish the athletes alone, these other rogue practitioners will move to the next athlete," said Keino.

This emerges days after Athletics Kenya (AK) president Isaiah Kiplagat declined to give evidence and information about doping in the country to the Ministerial Anti-Doping Task Force and also declined to appear before a parliamentary committee.

And AK has this week released names of nine athletes who are suspected to have been involved in doping, and announced that former World marathon Record holder Wilson Kipsang, skipped a test on November 11.

This has prompted to Kipsang to issue a statement threatening legal redress.

While missing an Out-of-Competition test is common in sports in general, because all humans can have a change of plans in their daily programmes, the decision by AK to make it public leaves Kipsang out to hang and dry, for a crime he has not committed.

"In response to the Statement issued by Athletics Kenya, I wish to state clearly that it is a breach of privacy with malicious intent to soil my name and the efforts I have put in to develop and streamline the art of running in Kenya.

"I am fully aware of the communication from IAAF and I have submitted all the necessary details and the matter was settled in accordance with the governing law. In the dates mentioned, I was in South Africa to attend a global Athletics conference where I was representing Africa and Kenya.

"Athletics Kenya was aware of this trip and the same was updated in my whereabouts calendar. Each elite athlete is required to keep his calendar with IAAF," said Kipsang.

The New York Marathon champion, however, said he will indeed request an administrative review, a written submission for the appeal to do the test, before the December 24 deadline.

"Missing unwillingly a single test, in fact for the first time cannot amount to issuing a press statement by a national federation. I am not the only athlete who has missed a test. I am not the first one in Kenya and in the world. Then, why Kipsang?" he posed.

Kenya’s Wilson Kipsang during the London Marathon race in April. [PHOTO: REUTERS]