The World Anti-Doping agency has issued Kenya an April 5 deadline by which they must be compliant with anti-doping rules. They will then face a review to determine the eligibility of their track and field athletes for the Olympics.
Kenya has been embroiled in doping controversies of late. The Athletics Kenya chief executive, Isaac Mwangi, was provisionally suspended on Monday over allegations that he tried to use bribes in order to have doping bans reduced for two athletes. In addition, three other highly ranked Kenyan athletics officials are also under provisional suspensions.
They have all denied the charges.
Kenya have already missed a deadline last month to pass anti-doping legislation, and they were also required to allocate funding to the Anti-Doping agency of Kenya.
IAAF VP Kalkaba & Kipchoge Keino insist Kenya will not be banned from Olympics #NTVSport @NyabolaEdmond pic.twitter.com/C2xdmov85a
— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) February 22, 2016
WADA says that the draft submissions received from Kenya's anti-doping agency do not comply with its code and have now declared that Kenya have until April 5 to meet their standards.
After that date has passed, Kenya will be assessed by WADA's independent compliance review committee who will then make recommendations to WADA's board at a meeting in May.
If Kenya are found to be still non-compliant, their track and field athletes could be banned from competing at the upcoming Olympics.
Reacting to that prospect, Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m gold medalist Mo Farah said he supports the proposed sentence.
''You don’t want to wish it on athletes who haven’t done anything wrong,’ Farah (right) said of a ban. (But) as a country, they just have to follow the rules. But if they can’t follow that rule, then tough on them. You have to set an example.''
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