Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has released its Global List of Ineligible Persons containing 473 athletes currently serving sanctions. Five countries account for more than half the total number of sanctions, with 92 athletes coming from Russia.

The majority of the cases listed are related to infractions in the last five years. But there are lifetime bans for offences dating back a decade. Many of the Russian infractions date back to the 2015 doping scandal, but numerous infractions have been detected in the last three years.

India follows on the list, with 65 recorded sanctions, Kenya has 54, Morocco with 24 and China with 20. The five countries make up 54 per cent of the AIU’s Ineligible Persons list.

The Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) and the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) are working with World Athletics to lift the ban on its athletes.

Kenya entered the spotlight in recent months, with many well-known distance runners receiving sanctions for doping violations.

Positive test

In December 2021 Boston champion Diana Kipyokei was given a six-year ban for a positive test for the weight-reducing and endurance-increasing drug triamcinolone acetonide. From the 54 Kenyan athletes serving suspensions 21 were caught last year.

Since 2016, Kenya has been classified in Category A of the countries under surveillance by World Athletics and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), alongside Belarus, Ethiopia, Morocco and Ukraine.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said after the World Athletics Council meeting in November last year that Athletics Kenya (AK) has “a long journey” to regain trust, and that Kenyan Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwama and the council were working toward a solution.

Ababu announced a comprehensive action plan that will be unveiled to fight the scourge.

“I want to announce that we have activated preparations of a concise, comprehensive action plan that is time bound on how to fight this war,” said Namwamba, stating that the plan will involve a multi-agency network. Previous attempts to criminalize doping in Kenya have been

unsuccessful, with a motion submitted by former Cherangany Member of parliament and 2012 Boston Marathon champion Wesley Korir being defeated in 2016.

However, during a meeting with Coe at State House early this month, President William Ruto reaffirmed his government’s resolve to win the fight against doping.

Ruto revealed that the government has already set aside Sh3.7 billion to aid the fight against the vice over the next five years.

Kenya escaped a potential doping ban from international athletics last month following a rise in doping cases in the country.

In his remarks, the Head of State said the government will go an extra mile in protecting the integrity of athletics.

“We will collaborate with partners, sportsmen and their contacts to tackle doping that threatens our heritage,” said President Ruto.

On his part Coe said he was impressed with the Kenyan government’s effort to tame the vice.