Kenya’s bloodless anti-doping system risks being banished internationally

This is a brutal setback in Kenya’s fight against doping. Its specialist agency, ADAK, declared on Tuesday 17 September that it had received only 20 million shillings (almost 140,000 euros) from the government to finance its programmes in the coming months. A far cry from the 298 million shillings promised by Nairobi (just over 2 million euros). Bloodlessly, ADAK is paying the price for the huge budget cuts decided by the government after the abandonment of a tax bill that pushed thousands of Kenyans onto the streets in June.

“We cannot meet our obligations, we risk not being able to comply with the world anti-doping code.warned Daniel Makdwallo, president of ADAK. I urge the National Treasury to reconsider this funding shortfall and restore the agency’s budget to protect Kenyan athletes. »

Kenyan sport and its middle and long distance runners, who have monopolised the podiums and international records for several years, now risk being excluded from world competitions.

The East African country, however, seemed to be on the road to redemption after a series of scandals led to it being declared non-compliant by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) just weeks before the 2016 Rio Games. Athletes were finally able to travel to Brazil, thanks to the last-minute creation of ADAK, just before the Olympic meeting.

Dozens of control agents recruited

In early January 2023, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe warned, however, that the ” path ” Kenya’s anti-doping effort would be ” long “. “Let us not be mistaken, this will not be solved overnight”, he then stressed, following the suspension of dozens of Kenyan runners who tested positive in 2022.

Once again, the country, under close surveillance by WADA and the International Athletics Federation, narrowly escaped sanctions. At the cost of massive investments. “Kenya will spare no effort in the fight against doping (…) to protect the integrity of athletics”Kenyan President William Ruto, along with the British, promised to do so. Three months later, Nairobi promised to spend 25 million dollars (23 million euros) over five years. Since then, dozens of control officers have been recruited, the number of tests has been significantly increased (more than 2,000 samples taken in 2023) and prevention and education programmes for athletes have been strengthened.

The country’s efforts to clean up the sport have paid off: big names in Kenyan long and middle distance have fallen one after another in recent years, often receiving heavy penalties.

In June, just weeks before the Paris Olympics, ADAK imposed its first lifetime ban on marathon runner Beatrice Toroitich and a six-year ban on men’s 10km road record holder Rhonex Kipruto. These two names add to the list of around twenty athletes accused of misconduct since the beginning of the year; around a hundred are currently subject to a measure by the Athletics Integrity Unit, the body responsible for the fight against doping in athletics.

Kenya, the second-biggest power in athletics at the Paris Olympics (where it won eleven medals, including four titles), would have been successful without the budgetary impasse created by Nairobi on its path to rehabilitation from doping. However, the poison of doubt continues to accompany each of the performances of the athletes from Rift Highlands.