Doping: Bett gets four-year drug ban

Kipyegon Bett wins men's 800m race during the world relays trials at Kasarani Stadium , 2017.[PHOTO:DENNIS OKEYO/STANDARD]

Kenyan world 800m bronze medallist Kipyegon Bett has been handed a four-year ban for doping, the IAAF Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) confirmed on Friday.

Bett, 20, refused to allow a urine sample to be taken in February and then in July, when a sample was taken, he tested positive for the prohibited substance Erythropoeitin (EPO), an endurance-boosting hormone, the integrity unit said.

Unless he appeals, Bett will be suspended until August 2022 which rules him out of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and the next two editions of the World Championships.

 
The AIU handles integrity and doping issues for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

Bett is the latest Kenyan to fail a drugs test. A World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report said between 2004 and August 1, 2018, as many as 138 athletes from the east African nation tested positive for banned substances, 113 in competition.