Athletics fraternity to converge in Iten as anti doping fight gathers momentum

Athletics fraternity will converge at the Iten grounds, Elgeyo Marakwet County on Friday to mark the Anti-Doping Day with the fight against doping expected to feature prominently in the deliberations.

This year’s event follows the inaugural edition held last year in Nyahururu, Laikipia County and Kapsabet in Nandi County.

 Running under the theme ‘Expose Dopers, Save Our Sport’ AK Elgeyo Marakwet branch secretary general Boniface Tiren said the sensitization program targets all athletes in the country as well other stakeholders.

“We’ve already contacted athletes and coaches majority of whom are based here in Iten. However, we are not only focusing in this county because our target is to reach out to all active athletes and even those who have retired,” Tiren told Citizen Digital.

Tiren argues that the sensitization could not have come at a better place than the ‘Home of Champions’ considering the enormous number of athletes training in the county.

“We understand the challenges we have faced in doping as a country and Iten town was an ideal venue since about 60percent of the residents here are athletes.  Furthermore, the town is in close proximity to Uasin Gishu County which hosts athletes as well,” added Tiren.

The event is also expected to be graced by leaders led by county governor Alex Tolgos and officials from AK as well as ADAK.

Apart from the Anti-Doping day, similar activities aiming at eradicating doping will continue during the AK Cross Country, Relay series and also the Track and Field Weekend Meetings.

Similarly, AK will hold the annual Athletes Conference in December 5- 7 with doping expected to be among the main agenda.

The fight against doping in the country got a major boost  August  this year after the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) AND LANCET Group of Labs established the first ever World Anti- Doping Agency (WADA) approved anti-doping laboratory in Nairobi.

The establishment of the lab will ease the process of blood testing with samples no longer required to be transported to anti-doping labs in Europe or South Africa for analysis.

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Elgeyo Marakwet County Anti-Doping Day Boniface Tiren ten grounds

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