Cross Country team breaks from training for random dope tests

Kenya’s cross country team was forced to put on hold its training Tuesday morning after Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (Adak) officials paid them an impromptu visit to carry out mandatory out-of-competition tests.

The eight officials arrived at the team’s Kigari Teachers Training College as the 30-member squad was preparing to leave for a mid-morning run, forcing head coach Juma Ndiwa to postpone training.

The exercise lasted for the better part of the day with the anti-doping officials leaving around 3.30pm, leaving the athletes to kick off the day’s training at 5.15pm at the Embu Stadium where they focused on speed work.

Adak officials also lectured the athletes on the need for the tests and later collected urine samples for analysis. Team captain Patrick Komon said they were keen on ensuring the co-operated with the anti-doping agency to ensure the country was struck off the “watch list” of high performing countries being closely monitored by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).

He said the constant surveillance and suspicion, while understandable, was hurting majority of athletes who were running clean since they lived in anxiety, hence the need to get off the Wada radar “soonest.”

“They arrived at 9.30am as we were leaving the compound for training. They collected samples of the 30 athletes. This is the first time they are doing it, but they had come here earlier on to take us through the exercise.  

“We have no problem with their impromptu visits since it is their responsibility. We want to co-operate fully so that we can get off the watch list. Everyone is anxious and it is affecting morale levels and we are keen on ensuring we get off the watch so that we can go about our activities freely,” he said.

Last week, Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei had prepared the athletes psychologically of possible tests and urged them to cooperate with anti doping officials to boost the chances of the country being declared “clean”.

Tuwei urged Kenyan athletes to be patient since they will be called upon to undergo regular tests until the country was out of the anti-doping officials’ radar.

“We have agreed that we must cooperate to get out of this watch list which they sometimes call monitoring list. United States and Jamaica have done it and that is why they got out of the list. We also need to get out of it,” he implored.

He said the athletes will be regularly subjected to tests and was keen to have the matter dropped by next year.

“You will be getting more tests both in competition and out of competition. We will be calling for your understanding and cooperation. We know you play fair but there is need for testing to prove. I hope by the end of this season, we will get off the list and we will go back to normal way of life,” said Tuwei.