Top Kenyan athletes set for anti-doping seminar

Nairobi, Jan 12 (IANS) Athletics Kenya will hold a seminar on January 16 targeting 108 elite athletes, coaches and managers who have been invited in order to be briefed on the governing body's new medical regulations as they strive to eliminate doping in the country.

The federation will hold a meeting in the Kenyan city of Eldoret, reports Xinhua.

Kenya has registered over 40 cases in the last two years of doping and though it was not reprimanded like Russia and stopped from competing at the Rio Olympics, it is being watched keenly by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

"As a top athletics federation and country, we cannot continue to be doubted by the world," Athletics Kenya chief Jack Tuwei said on Wednesday.

Tuwei said it would be mandatory for elite athletes to go through the newly formed Kenyan Doctors Network (KDN) if they wanted to participate in international competitions.

Tuwei added the aim is to avert the doping cases in the country and invited over 100 elite runners to a seminar on anti-doping and why it is important to get clearance from KDN in order to feature in the races abroad.

"Trusted and skilled doctors in the country were identified to form KDN and their work is to take care of Kenya's elite athletes and limit negative medical practices that promote doping behaviours," Tuwei said.

Top athletes Vivian Cheruiyot and Milcah Chemos have endorsed a move to have all elite athletes seek medical clearance before competing abroad in a bid to curb doping. They have termed the move timely.

The duo gave a thumbs up to the move to form a network of accredited doctors to oversee the implementation of the policy after International Association of Athletics Federations voiced its concern over the influx of doping cases in the country.