•According to Rule 15 provisions for Category ‘A’ federations, all athletes desiring and intending to compete at the Olympics must undergo at least three out-of-competition tests.
•But in there lies the heinous cloud of the antidoping peril that has claimed some of the country's finest talents.
• Doping cloud hangs over Kenya as preps for Paris intensifies.
Image: HANDOUT
The countdown to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games track and field programme begins this weekend as Athletics Kenya conducts trials for the quadrennial event at the Nyayo Stadium on Friday and Saturday.
But in there lies the heinous cloud of doping, which has forced the country to conduct its business with the handbrake engaged.
Kenya's continued stay in the World Athletics/Athletics Integrity Category 'A', highly likely to dope, has not helped the situation.
It means some of the country's finest talents and prospects will sit out of the Games.
There is anxiety that these stringent anti-doping rules could compromise the quality of Team Kenya since AK must deal with only athletes cleared by either ADAK or AIU.
According to Rule 15 provisions for Category ‘A’ federations, all athletes desiring and intending to compete at the Olympics must undergo at least three out-of-competition tests.
Rule 15.5.1 (c), instructs all athletes to undertake their first out-of-competition testing at least 12 weeks before the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on July 26.
This means the deadline for the first out-of-competition test was May 3, failure to which the athletes will not be authorised to compete at the trials and thus the Olympics.
The deadline for undertaking all three out-of-competition testing is July 4.
The three no-notice out-of-competition tests will be conducted three weeks apart, under the authority of ADAK and recorded in the Anti-Doping Administration Management System (ADAMS).
In an interview, Athletics Kenya (AK) chief administrative officer, Susan Kamau notified all athletes to familiarise themselves with these additional requirements and adhere to them to dodge last-minute bummers.
She added that the local governing body will rigidly invoke the rules and exclude athletes who decline to comply.
However, some quarters have reservations about the development, pointing out that the strict anti-doping rules imposed by AK could compromise Kenya's medal hunt in Paris.
AK president Jackson Tuwei confirmed that the qualification for the Olympics will close on June 30 and, so far, 67 athletes have secured the coveted slots for the Paris Olympics.
Is the recent development likely to complicate the remaining phase of establishing a team for the Paris Games?
AK national vice-chairman Paul Mutwii doesn't think so.
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Speaking on Thursday, Mutwii played down fears that the stringent laws put in place by the local governing body might scare away some gifted athletes and deny Kenya a chance to select a strong team.
He said it was dishonest for athletes to raise complaints about rules and regulations already in the public domain.
"When it comes to anti-doping, the rules have been there for a long time and all our athletes and athlete support personnel are aware of what is required," Mutwii.
"The federation has always made great efforts to communicate to the athletes, their managers and coaches before competitions, and, as such, there should be no excuse whatsoever," he added.
Mutwii said AK follows the guidelines prescribed by the global governing body, World Athletics (WA).
"World Athletics is clear that all athletes must undergo the mandatory tests. We cannot take any chances as a nation. Anybody who intends to participate in the national trials must prepare to be taken through all the tests as prescribed," Mutwii said.
He dismissed claims by athletes who tend to attribute their woes to medication.
In the past, several athletes claimed they got the prohibited substances from drugs prescribed in hospitals.
"We cannot use medication as an excuse. We've always advised our athletes to identify themselves to the doctors anytime they are seeking treatment in a hospital. This will help the medics prescribe drugs that don't contain prohibited substances," he said.
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National team head coach Julius Kirwa expressed confidence that the nation will pick a strong contingent for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games despite the strict measures to discourage doping.
Kirwa urged Kenyan athletes to avoid controversies that paint the country in bad light.
"We agree that including athletes who have been found culpable will only serve to damage our image in the eyes of the world. This is a risk we cannot expose ourselves to," Kirwa remarked.
"We don't think the stringent laws will compromise the quality of our team. It will not water down the selection process. We've always taken a firm position that our athletes should be above reproach. They must be clean," Kirwa stated.
Kirwa is confident that they will still witness a huge turnout at the upcoming trials even as AK heightens efforts to discourage the vice in the country.
"We don't expect many athletes to be locked out by the strict anti-doping laws because only a small percentage has been found on the wrong side of the law in the past," Kirwa said.
"In the worst scenario where many athletes test positive, we still have the capacity as coaches to hone the skills of athletes who've earned a call-up to the national team."
Kirwa said measures have been established to avert any crisis likely to be occasioned by anti-doping violations in Paris like it has happened in recent major championships, including the 2020 Tokyo Games.
"The athletes who report to camp are those already cleared by the World Antidoping Agency (WADA), the Antidoping Agency of Kenya (ADAK), and AIU," he said.
Similar caution was exercised when Athletics Kenya picked a team for this month's Africa Senior Championships, where the final list took weeks to release. Adak had to verify the team to ensure all on board were compliant.
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The National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) Secretary General Francis Mutuku questioned the intentions of athletes who are raising concerns about the tough anti-doping statutes.
"I don't think it makes any sense for an athlete to complain about the anti-doping laws because they were put in place to ensure healthy and fair competition," Mutuku remarked.
He reckons the country boasts an adequate pool of talented athletes who can easily secure medals without malpractices.
"We have a host of Kenyan athletes who bagged medals for the country without being aided by proscribed substances," Mutuku said.
Mutuku lauded the huge traction made by the government in addressing the menace.
"President William Ruto made a big step in reaching out to the World Athletics president Sebastian Coe and a lot was done to resolve the issue. We support the move and remain firm in our resolve to encourage a clean sport," said Mutuku.
"We all have a noble duty as a nation to protect our image on the global front. We shouldn't allow a few stray elements to destroy the good reputation we've earned over the years."
Recent figures of sanctioned Kenyans tally 33. During a workshop in Naivasha earlier in the year, the Kenya Enhanced Anti-Doping Project Joint Working Group was emphatic that Kenya will take a clean team to the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The team, consisting of the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK), the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), Athletics Kenya (AK), and the Ministry of Sports, sat to review the progress made by the country on the Multi-Agency Collaboration Programme.
Wesley Korir, chairman of the Kenya Enhanced Anti-Doping Project Joint Working Group Steering Committee reiterated the desire to save the country from humiliation in Paris.
"We want to confidently say we will not only send the best athletes to Paris but also the cleanest," Korir stated.
"We are now testing the athletes as many times as possible and through the intelligence network, we will ensure those tested are not doing anything malicious behind doors."
Peninnah Wahome, ADAK's director of compliance and testing, announced they have sampled over 1500 athletes eyeing the Paris Olympics Games ticket.
Team Kenya athletes will have two more tests before leaving for France.
"We are glad that we have roped in a comparatively bigger number than in the previous Olympics," Wahome said.
"We'd like to tell the nation that those selected to fly our flag at the Olympics and qualifiers are well taken care of in terms of testing."