Kenya lacks capacity to police doping

• But even as AK’s bigwigs are calling Kiptanui reckless, the AK chair Isaiah Kiplagat once admitted that even if Kenyan athletes were using banned substances, AK lacked the capacity to test and it is only the Government that can work with World Anti Doping Agency to stem doping among local athletes.

New Zealand bounced back yesterday at Hamilton to beat England by three wickets with seven balls to spare in the first One Day International tie after losing a T20 series by two games to one.
Meanwhile, my Pakistan, which lost the first Test in South Africa salvaged some of its pride in the second Test and did not buckle under the Proteas’ bowling attack as it did during the first Test. Great fight back.
While the performance of these four teams might be big news to their fans, these events have been overshadowed in this past week by some tragic news which have rocked the sporting world.
In South Africa, Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee “blade runner” is not having a very good Oscar Month (he has been appearing in Pay TV Channel promotion for the Oscar Awards) after he got charged with murder for allegedly shooting his girlfriend on Thursday last week.
Come to terms
Of course South Africans are astounded and so is the whole sporting world which is yet to come to terms with his predicament.
Nearer home, there was even a bigger bombshell when Olympic medallist Moses Kiptanui alleged that the much-loved world-beating Kenyan runners have been using banned substances.
His charge was not taken lightly by Athletics Kenya bigwigs who dismissed him as reckless and careless. This was expected, considering that when a German journalist lay the same allegations before the London Olympic Games, the most AK bigwigs could do was deny, deny and deny.
Kipatnui’s allegations might even be considered confessions by the European countries which have always wondered how Kenya’s athletes manage to be world beaters with such low-tech training facilities and even equipment.
Kiptanui reckless
But even as AK’s bigwigs are calling Kiptanui reckless, the AK chair Isaiah Kiplagat once admitted that even if Kenyan athletes were using banned substances, AK lacked the capacity to test and it is only the Government that can work with World Anti Doping Agency to stem doping among local athletes.
His earlier statement might even be misconstrued as an admission and those who have followed the story closely might even be wondering why he is surprised now.
To be fair to Kiplagat and his lieutenants, it is true that AK lacks the capacity, and sadly, it is not the only Kenyan sports federation that is faced with such a handicap.

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