WADA removes Kenya from list of "non-compliant" nations

International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive member and current president of the World Anti-Doping Agency Craig Reedie gestures at a press briefing during the 129th International Olympic Committee session in Rio de Janeiro on August 2, 2016, ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach on August 2 demanded a sweeping overhaul of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as Russian appeals against bans mounted just three days from the opening of the Rio Games. / AFP PHOTO / FABRICE COFFRINI

Kenya was on Thursday removed from the the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) list of nations deemed 'non-compliant' in their efforts to tackle doping after the Kenyan parliament introduced new legislation to punish drug cheats.

Kenya's reputation has been tarnished by more than 40 doping cases in the last four years and at one point the East African nation's participation at the Rio Olympics, which start on Friday, was deemed to be in jeopardy.

WADA in May put Kenya on its non-compliant list as an anti-doping law passed by the Kenyan parliament was not in line with WADA's own code. The government later amended the bill.

"Kenya has drafted and adopted anti-doping legislation now deemed to be in line with the Code," WADA said in a statement.

It added that it had "removed the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) from the list of signatories previously deemed non-compliant".

Among the Kenyan athletes to have failed drug tests are former Boston City Marathon and Chicago Marathon champion, Rita Jeptoo, and twice world cross-country champion Emily Chebet.