ADAK chief Rugut issues stern warning to drug cheats

The Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) has warned athletes against breaking anti-doping regulations even during this period of coronavirus pandemic.

With the virus having ravaged virtually all the sporting events globally, athletes in all disciplines have been left without any active competition at the moment.

In a statement, ADAK Chief Executive Officer Japther Rugut revealed that the agency is still active and carrying out its duties and thus warned drug cheats who may be seeking to take advantage of the current situation.

“In view of the global pandemic of COVID 19, ADAK has put up in place safety measures and regulations which are in line with the national government and therefore continues to collect samples for analysis. All athletes are reminded of their duty under the Anti-Doping Rules. Let no athlete mislead themselves or others that the doping control process has been scaled down,” said Rugut.

At the same time, Rugut regretted the increasing cases of Kenyan athletes caught violating the anti-doping rules despite their sustained education and awareness.

Since its inception in 2016, ADAK has reached more than 38,749 sports persons in information sharing and has also tested over 3,856 athletes.

“Isolated incidences of athletes caught violating the anti-doping rules are unfortunate and inexcusable. However, these shall not dampen the resolve to continue promoting clean sport,” added Rugut.

In the latest ranking of countries by the World Athletics in 2019, Kenya remained in category A of the watchlist alongside Bahrain, Belarus, Morocco, Ukraine, Nigeria and Ethiopia where doping is highly prevalent.

The 2017 London Marathon champion Daniel Wanjiru is the latest Kenyan athlete to be suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for alleged violation on his Athlete’s Biological Passport (ABP).

Similarly, former world marathon record holder Wilson Kipsang and former world junior 800m champion Alfred Kipketer are the other Kenyan athletes suspended since the start of the year.

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ADAK ANT-DOPING CEO Japther Rugut

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