Deal with Kenya’s doping problem

Yet again, another Kenyan athlete has tested positive for a banned substance, and this coming only two months before the country hosts the IAAF World Under-18 Championships. Olympic marathon champion Jemimah Sumgong’s positive test for Erythropoietin (EPO) is disappointing and even distressing for many of the athletes preparing for this premier event.

The country has doggedly tried to emerge from a cloud, particularly before last year’s Olympic Games when many of its athletes were stripped of race titles for numerous doping violations. It was at about this time that Kenya was facing a ban for failing to enact anti-doping legislation.