Kenya has met most Wada requirements, says Wario
Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario when he appeared before the Senate Labour and Social Welfare Committee on February 9, 2016. PHOTO | WILLIAM OERI |
What you need to know:
- Parliament yet to pass legislation
- Sports CS seeks to allay fears of Wada ban as deadline for compliance elapses
- Kenya had missed the February 11 compliance deadline, and Wada gave the country a grace period that ended on Tuesday.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario is optimistic Kenya will not incur the wrath of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) over failure to put in place regulations against doping, saying the government has met all the key requirements.
Wario sought to quell fears that Kenya risked being declared non-compliant by Wada after the lapse of a deadline on Tuesday, saying he was in touch with the agency and the International Association of Athletics Federations.
“We’ve submitted all the documents to Wada as required. Compliance required a raft of measures, legislation being part of that. We’re in contact with IAAF and Wada, especially on the yet-to-be finalised Anti-Doping Bill,” Wario said.
NO CAUSE FOR ALARM
Wada’s compliance review committee met in Montreal, Canada, yesterday but the verdict on Kenya is not expected until Wada’s board meeting on May 12.
There were fears Wada would ban Kenya after Parliament went on recess last week before finalising work on the 2016 Anti-Doping Bill, which has gone through its first reading.
Kenya had missed the February 11 compliance deadline, and Wada gave the country grace period that ended on Tuesday.
Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei also allayed fears that Kenya would be banned, saying the Government has provided what Wada had demanded.
“The government has given Wada among others a copy of the Ant-Doping Bill currently at Parliament. It’s a process that should be handled with care without hurrying,” said Tuwei during the national trials for the East and Central Africa Junior Championships at Nyayo National Stadium on Tuesday.
“Accepting the document is a clear indication that Wada must be happy with the development in Kenya,” said Tuwei as he urged Kenyan athletes to continue training for the Rio Olympic Games and other championships without any fear.
Even though Wada was reluctant to push new laws criminalising doping, it has encouraged governments to introduce laws that penalise those who traffic and distribute banned substances, individuals who are ultimately putting banned substances into the hands of athletes.
