Nairobi, Aug 13 (IANS) Kenya has said its runners who had competed at the Helsinki and Osaka World Championships almost a decade ago were clean, and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has not informed them if any of its 51-member squad to the 2015 World Championships in Beijing is affected.
With the team set to depart for the Beijing World Championships next week, Athletics Kenya CEO Isaac Mwangi confirmed to reporters here on Wednesday that none of the Kenyans in the training camp is affected, reports Xinhua.
“IAAF has not communicated to us about any banning of athletes because one’s samples taken back in 2005 (Helsinki) or Osaka (2007) has tested positive to current modern anti-doping technology,” said Mwangi.
IAAF announced on Tuesday that 28 athletes have been reprimanded and disciplined after the sample provided by them during the two events — and which was proactively stored by the IAAF at the Swiss Laboratory for Doping Analyses (LAD) in Lausanne in anticipation of new scientific developments — tested positive.
“This strategy first revealed six adverse findings from Helsinki which were announced in March 2013, and, to date, nine athletes have been sanctioned following re-testing of samples from various world championships,” said a statement from IAAF on Tuesday.
“This re-analysis has confirmed a further 28 athletes with 32 adverse findings.”
Due to the legal process, none of these athletes can be named yet. A large majority of the 28 are retired, and some are athletes who have already been sanctioned, and only very few remain active in sport.
The IAAF is provisionally suspending them and can confirm that none of the athletes concerned will be competing in Beijing.
The Kenyan team has World 3,000 metre steeplechase champion Ezekiel Kemboi, Beijing Olympic champion in steeplechase Brimin Kipruto, Olympic 5,000m silver medallist Vivian Cheruiyot, former world 800m winner Janeth Jepkosgei (2007) and middle-distance runner Asbel Kiprop.
