More doping sanctions on the way as ADAK flexes muscle

Kenya's Joshua Belet on his way to win last year's Amsterdam Marathon. [AFP]

Buckle up as you prepare for more shocking news in the fight against doping, the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) has warned.

ADAK on Wednesday said more athletes are likely to be sanctioned soon.

On Tuesday, the agency sanctioned 33 athletes comprising track and road stars as well as rugby and basketball players, the biggest number in the history of the country’s anti-doping war.

ADAK head of legal services Bildad Rogoncho said several cases of anti-doping rules violation were being handled and that the number of sanctions could rise as soon as the cases are concluded.

“I don’t foresee the positive tests going down in the coming days because we are implementing the enhanced anti-doping programme. We have been testing 1,000 samples a year and we are now doing at least 4,000 samples annually. The numbers are bound to go up,” Rogoncho told Standard Sport.

Increased funding in the enhanced anti-doping campaign has helped the agency to gather more intelligence on suspected cheats, the legal officer said.

He added that ADAK is predominantly testing all athletes, shifting away from the traditional targeted testing.

“We have a new trend which is resulting from mass testing and intelligence. Many athletes are running away when they get wind that anti-doping control officers are coming but we are now charging them with evasion," said Rogoncho.

The reigning Amsterdam Marathon champion Joshua Belet, Hengdian Marathon winner Alfred Chemeitoi and Eliud Kipsang, a 1500m athlete who had claimed victory in a number of invitational races in the United States including Bryan Clay, Charlie Thomas, and Crimson Tide.

Late last month, the anti-doping agency said an enhanced testing campaign aimed at nabbing cheats was underway.