Bungei urges Jeptoo to name doping architects
What you need to know:
- The former 800m champion met retired athletes and representatives from the Professional Athletics Association of Kenya (PAAK) last week.
- They also called on Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario to act and refrain from issuing threats that AK top brass was accustomed to.
The Beijing Olympic Games 800m gold medallist Wilfred Bungei has challenged disgraced marathoner Rita Jeptoo to expose those behind her doping saga.
Bungei said Jeptoo - who has been handed a two-year ban for taking prohibited substance erythropoietin (EPO) - should name those behind her woes and alleged a major cover-up by Athletics Kenya after Jeptoo’s hearing.
“Jeptoo will help the sport that has sold this great country to the whole world by telling the nation exactly what happened,” Bungei said. “There is no professional who will allow anyone to control what they take.”
“EPO is not an over-the-counter drug. It’s taken through an injection. The question is, who brought and administered the injection?” posed Bungei.
The former 800m champion met retired athletes and representatives from the Professional Athletics Association of Kenya (PAAK) last week and vowed to mobilise Athletics Kenya regions and institutions to boycott the National Cross Country Championships on February 14 if the body's top executives won’t resign.
“Jeptoo’s hearing was highly publicised, but AK have decided not to make the findings public. We want to know what happened,” said Bungei.
WARIO ASKED TO ACT
They also called on Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario to act and refrain from merely issuing threats that AK top brass was accustomed to.
“It shows that AK has failed to go to the bottom of the matter since they are shielding some culprits behind the menace,” charged Bungei. “We now want the minister to act or we shall boycott national events.”
Bungei alleged AK has deliberately mishandled the doping menace in the country so as to protect some foreign agents and managers involved.
He further questioned AK's move to ban athletes now who failed dope tests two years ago.
“It shows elements of a cover-up since some of these athletes have competed with AK clearance in events yet they are supposed to be serving bans,” he added.
PAAK organising secretary Julius Ndegwa said the findings from Jeptoo’s hearing must be made public.
