IAAF Ethics Board suspends Major (Rtd) Michael Rotich

The independent IAAF Ethics Board has announced the provisional suspension of Major Michael Rotich, manager of the Kenyan athletics team at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, from all offices or positions in either Athletics Kenya or the IAAF in the interests of the integrity of the sport.

As was made public by the Ethics Board, this provisional suspension is for a period of 180 days starting on August 12, pending investigation of serious matters which have come to the attention of the IAAF Ethics Board.

“The Chairman of the IAAF Ethics Board, Michael Beloff QC, has today provisionally suspended Major Michael Rotich, manager of the Kenyan Athletics team at the Rio Olympics, from all offices or positions in either Athletics Kenya or the IAAF in the interests of the integrity of the sport.

“The Chairman of the Ethics Board has imposed this Order for Provisional Suspension having carefully considered the information available to the Ethics Board, which discloses a prima facie case, i.e. a case warranting investigation, against Major Rotich in relation to potential subversion of the anti-doping control process in Kenya,” part of the Ethics Board statement read.

It stressed the imposition of an Order for Provisional Suspension in this case in no way prejudges the outcome of the investigation which will now be carried out by the Board’s appointed investigator, lawyer Sharad Rao.

“Major Rotich remains presumed innocent until the outcome of the investigation and the determination of any disciplinary charges which may follow from that investigation,” the board added.

Rotich, the AK North Rift chairman, has joined President Isaiah Kiplagat, Vice-President, David Okeyo, Eastern chairman, Joseph Kinyua and CEO, Isaac Mwangi in the roster of suspended federation officials by the Board on charges ranging from bribery, subverting the anti-doping process and embezzlement.

The Ethics Board extended the suspensions of Kiplagat, Okeyo and Kinyua while Mwangi lost his appeal to have his quashed.

He was expelled from the Rio 2016 Olympics last Sunday after he was caught in an undercover video allegedly soliciting for 10,000 pounds (KSh1.32m) in brides to inform a bogus British running team on when Doping Control Officials would come to camp to conduct tests.

Upon arrival, he was apprehended and held at Nairobi’s Gigiri Police Station until Friday when he was released on a Ksh200,000 bail.