Athletics Kenya’s North secretary, Boniface Tiren, has urged the government to fund the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) to conduct local athletics testing.
Tiren emphasized the importance of testing all athletes participating in races and handling doping cases at the local level to combat the menace.
Speaking during the start of a one week series of meetings for coaches in Iten, the secretary urged athletes in Iten to utilize their natural talent in racing, stating that drugs not only harm their reputation but also the country.
“Kenya is known worldwide for producing great athletes and once one is caught doping, it spoils the reputation of the whole country,” Tiren said.
Tiren said if the trend continues, it may lead to athletes from the country being banned from participating in international races which he said would affect them economically and also the economy of towns like Iten, where most athletes originate, is also impacted by this.
He reminded athletes that taking drugs when they are not sick may give them the money they so desire but end up killing them thus not living to enjoy their wealth.
The ADAK head of education and research Dr. Martin Ouma said the agency decided to train the coaches as they are very influential in the lives of athletes so that they can guide them in their decisions.
He said the agency will on Thursday and Friday visit the athletes in their training camps to accord them an opportunity to talk freely and share their concerns with them saying the agency has done enough sensitization on the dangers of doping,
“There is no athlete who is not aware of the dangers of doping and anyone found doping is doing so with the full knowledge,” he said.
Retired athlete Richard Limo who is now a coach attributed the widespread use of drugs among athletes in the country on the greed to get rich quickly through short cuts without putting in the required efforts to win.
Peter Bii another coach warned athletes that they have nowhere to hide saying the law will catch up with them adding that the doping menace is as a result of a society which lacks virtues.
By Alice Wanjiru
