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The recently released report on the status of doping in the country paints a grim picture and calls for urgent action.
Coming after a two-year joint research by World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (Adak) and the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), the report is an indictment on Kenya.
Besides ranking the country among the top three nations with high cases of doping in the world, Wada’s Intelligence and Investigations report describes doping cases in Kenya as serious.
It emerges though that Kenyan athletes engaged in doping are unsophisticated, opportunistic, and uncoordinated hence no evidence of an institutionalised system or criminal network involved.
The latter observation is an opportunity for Kenya to take serious action to avert a situation where the practice is entrenched in our systems.
For example, it was noted most of the abused performance enhancing drugs such as nandrolone and sophisticated Erythropoietin (EPO) are easily found in pharmacies around the country.
And that means serious campaigns must be conducted in conjunction with pharmacies to limit uptake.
What is more disturbing is most athletes are not aware they are using drugs when they seek treatment with the most abused being nandrolone.
The report offers pointers to Adak and sport of federations in the country on what should be done to end doping.
Adak has been at the forefront in educating the athletes but it should intensify the programmes and target the training camps and schools.
The rate at which young and upcoming athletes are testing positive for banned substances is alarming.
Keep these substances out of our sports.
Fortunately, the past problem of lack of testing laboratory, which complicated the fight against doping, has now been resolved. Kenya now has its own laboratory and can conduct all tests.
We have the opportunity to keep our athletes free of drugs.
Evidence is now available on the level of doping, which facts should inspire remedies. On their own, athletes have to learn they can run without drugs and score clean victory.
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