NAIROBI: Foreign athletes and coaches planning to train and work in distance-running epicentre Kenya could soon face a wealth of restrictions as authorities try to stop the scourge of doping.
Athletics Kenya chief Isaiah Kiplagat and sports minister Hassan Wario said claims that Kenya’s running prowess was down to performance-enhancing drugs was damaging a major source of national pride and income.
“It will destroy one of the most important institutions in the country,” Wario told reporters, admitting that claims that Kenyans were cheating had become “rampant”.
The officials said they were drawing up procedures to keep a closer eye on agents, coaches and athletes who visit Kenya to look for local talent or profit from the famed running culture, ideal climate and altitude training facilities.
Kenya has long been seen as the world’s running capital, and the sport has become a major source of income for hundreds of athletes, mostly from the Eldoret area of the Rift Valley region in the west of the country. AFP
