Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii has called for the formation of frameworks to accredit coaches as a measure to control the doping menace in sports.
Speaking as he hosted the Chief Executive Officer of the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), Brett Clothier, Governor Bii regretted that the use of banned substances threatens Kenya’s glory in athletics.
“Doping cases in Kenya threaten to weigh down on the gains that we have achieved as a country in international arenas,” said Bii.
“As a county that has benefitted from the athletics glory that this country enjoys, we would like to call for strict measures for the accreditation of coaches in Kenya.”
The County Boss also added that sports persons should observe true sport, whose fundamental pillar is winning clean.
He further urged sports people to shun the use of performance-enhancing substances as it has grave effects on the life of a human being.
Collaborations to end doping
On his part, AIU’s Clothier said Kenya has shown support in efforts to fight the doping menace and said there will be collaborations in designing strategies to ensure sports is free of performance-boosting substances.
Athletics Kenya President Gen (Rtd) Jack Tuwei, Uasin Gishu Executive for Sports, Eng Lucy Ng’endo, and AK’s Nairobi region chair, Barnabas Korir, attended the meeting on Tuesday.
Kenya faced a ban threat last November following a rise in cases of doping among athletes.
However, Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba wrote to the World Athletics affirming the government’s commitment to addressing the menace.
“Government is taking firm measures to protect and uphold the integrity of athletics,” the CS said, noting that they were “treating it as a matter of top strategic national interest.”
Kenya is world-renowned for its middle and long-distance runners, who have won numerous gold medals at Olympic Games and World Championships and clocked up record times.
In the 2020 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the country ranked third in the athletics medal haul.
