Adak on track but we must do much more

What you need to know:

  • Adak have stepped on the gas pedal and they are on top of their game in as far as awareness campaign is concerned.
  • The agency has rolled out several outreach programmes aimed at enlightening sports people on doping matters.

As the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (Adak) chief executive officer Kiplimo Rugut rightly put it recently, we are not yet off the hook in as far as doping surveillance is concerned, and there is need to engage an even high gear in creating awareness on drug abuse. Yes, we may have been given a clean bill of health last August by World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), but this doesn’t mean we have eradicated doping.

The clearance, as Rugut put it, only meant Kenya has the right systems in place to fight doping, but this doesn’t translate to eradication of the same. Yes, with the Adak structures in place, our anti-doping systems conform to Wada’s regulations hence leaves no doubt about our intention to fight doping.

To be honest, Adak have stepped on the gas pedal and they are on top of their game in as far as awareness campaign is concerned.

The agency has rolled out several outreach programmes aimed at enlightening sports people on doping matters.

PULL IN ONE DIRECTION

They have been all over in as far as the education, outreach programmes, testing process and training of anti-doping control personnel are concerned.

They are even working with the Ministry of Education’s agencies to introduce the anti-doping subject in primary schools, which is a bright idea.

The idea behind this is that changing the mindset at early stage will create a good perception in the minds of young children who are our leaders tomorrow.

However, Adak alone will not make the different required for our country to get clean bill of health.

We all must pull in one direction and ensure that we are free of the menace.

The National Olympic Committee of Kenya, under the leadership of Paul Tergat, and Athletics Kenya must work together top supplement Adak efforts.

Eradicating the menace takes more than just education, and that is why AK and Nock are key in the equation.

One-on-one discussions with athletes on the hazards of doping is key in changing the society. This is why AK have planned a countrywide anti-doping campaign on November 2 to s athletes on the way forward.

The event will be a permanent fixture on the AK calendar going forward and will be key in reviving the good old days when running was just a passion.

As a country, we need to organise back-to-back anti-doping events to educate our children. We know where we have come from, and how much we have survived the ban, and we dont need to be complacent.

This is basically like a race of our lives and we have to finish, having already started.