The Anti-doping Agency of Kenya released an unprecedented list of 33 sportsmen and women who were provisionally suspended for violating anti-doping rules.
26 track and field athletes were among the culprits sanctioned by the anti-doping agency with remaining coming from basketball (3), rugby (3) and handball (1).
The reigning Amsterdam Marathon champion Joshua Belet topped the ADAK list of shame. Belet, who led a Kenyan 1-2-3 finish to win the Amsterdam Marathon in October, was suspended for the presence of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids, Testosterone, Adiol, Pregnanediol, Androsterone and Etiocholanolone.
Belet clocked 2:04:18, the third fastest time ever recorded in the Dutch capital, to win ahead of compatriots Cybrian Kotut and Bethwell Chumba.
Other notable names in the list include former Kenya Sevens fly half maestro Brian Wahinya, 2012 World Under-20 5000m champion David Bett, upcoming sprinters Duke Osoro and Joan Jeruto, and basketball players Alex Ramazani, Albert Onyango and James Mwangi Maina.
This comes even as Kenya’s Paris-bound athletes are required to undergo at least three anti-doping tests by July 4 to the lead up to the Summer Games, with the deadline for the first of these tests having elapsed on May 3.
The anti-doping agency attributed the highest number of the culprits to much-enhanced testing among Kenyan sportsmen and women.
ADAK has intensified clean sport programs across the country and intensified unprecedented tests, targeting athletes especially in the run up to major championships.
At the same time, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) have provisionally suspended Kenya’s Reuben Kiprop Kipyego for whereabouts failure.
In a statement, the agency said the 2021 Milan Marathon champion has been issued with a notice of allegation for which he is expected to respond before the next course of action.
A whereabouts failure occurs when an athlete fails to avail themselves for an impromptu anti-doping test at their designated location corresponding to the 60-minute time slot — also known as missed test.
It also refers to an athlete filing inaccurate or incomplete details to enable doping officers locate them for testing as well as failure to submit this information within the designated deadline.
Three consecutive filing failure or missed test results in a whereabout failure for which an athlete is liable for a two-year suspension from competitions.
Apart from Milan, Kipyego was also victorious at the Abu Dhabi Marathon in 2019.
His last competition was at the Rotterdam Marathon where he clocked 2:05:12 to finish third.