Kenya says it 'well on the way' to fixing anti-doping law in time for Rio

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya is "well on the way" to complying with the code of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the government said on Wednesday after discussions to fix an anti-doping law whose shortcomings threatened Kenya's participation at the Rio Olympics.

Kenya says it 'well on the way' to fixing anti-doping law in time for Rio

(Reuters)





A Kenyan delegation including the foreign and sports ministers held talks with WADA in Canada on Tuesday after the agency declared last week that the law pushed through parliament in April still left Kenya non-compliant with its code.

The agency's announcement threw into question the participation of Kenya, famed for its distance runners, in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August. Any decision on a ban would be in the hands of the International Olympic Committee.

Kenya said its delegation had "amicably" agreed on a road map to ensure full compliance and this would involve presenting amendments agreed with WADA to parliament and, once passed, sending the act to WADA for review and approval.

"Both teams agreed that Kenya is well on the way to full compliance with the Code subject to changes that need to be made to the Kenya Anti-Doping Act," a Kenyan statement said, adding that Kenya "should have representation" in the Olympics.

The statement did not detail the changes but Sports Minister Hassan Wario said on Saturday that the presence of government officials in the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) had led to WADA's declaration of non-compliance.

Kenya's governing athletics body, Athletics Kenya, has come under intense scrutiny over the state of its drug testing and bureaucracy amid allegations of corruption.

Forty Kenyan runners have been found guilty of doping since 2012 and 18 of them are currently suspended, according to the world governing International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which has said WADA's action reflected concerns about Kenya's commitment to fighting doping.

Kenya's government has insisted it is battling doping in sport to make sure its athletes are clean.

















(Additional reporting by Isaack Omulo; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Richard Balmforth)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world