Despite having 55 athletes serving suspensions, Kenya escape ban

Kenyan athletes have been spared a unilateral ban from the sport as concerns escalate around the rampant doping problem in the African nation.

There had been growing fears that they would be blacklisted in the style of Russia by World Athletics, given there are currently 55 Kenyans serving doping bans.

However, after the issue was discussed at the World Athletics council in Rome this week, president Sebastian Coe said there would be no ban, which follows a promise from the Kenyan government to invest $5 million per year into anti-doping efforts over the next five years.

‘World Athletics has been concerned,’ said Coe. ‘Kenya has been on the watch list for a few years already. In one year 40 per cent of all the positive tests in global athletics have been in Kenya and this is not a situation that World Athletics was prepared to sit and watch develop.

‘All stakeholders internationally and domestically are now aligned to resolve this situation and I am pleased we have a united response. But my instinct tells me it will be a long journey.’

Meanwhile, a decision over Russian reinstatement after an eight-year exile will be taken in March 2023, though progress they have made on the doping front could be negatively balanced against the country’s invasion of Ukraine