AIU provisionally suspends Diana Chepkorir for use of banned susbstance
By Joel Masibo, September 17, 2025The Athletics Integrity Unit has provisionally suspended Kenyan athlete Diana Chekkorir for use of a prohibited substance.
According to an X statement released by the AIU on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, Chekorir stands suspended until further notice.
Athletics Integrity Unity states that a provisional suspension is when an athlete or other person is suspended temporarily from participating in any competition or activity in athletics before a final decision at a hearing conducted under the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules or the Integrity Code of Conduct.
“In doping cases, a provisional suspension is mandatory under the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules following an adverse analytical finding for any non-specified substance on the prohibited list,” AIU stipulated.
Further, according to the AIU guidelines, a provisional suspension may be imposed in other doping cases depending on the nature and circumstances of the case in question. A provisional suspension imposed in a non-doping case does not in any way abrogate the presumption of innocence, and it is not an early determination of guilt. Rather, it is an order made on a precautionary basis to safeguard the interests of the sport.
Charles Lang’at suspended
Chepkorir’s provisional suspension comes at the time another Kenyan athlete, Charles Kipkurui Lang’at, has been slapped with a five-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after admitting to multiple anti-doping rule violations involving the use of banned substances, including testosterone and furosemide.
The AIU, established by World Athletics to safeguard the integrity of the sport, announced the decision on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, after extensive testing and investigations.
Langat, 29, had initially been provisionally suspended on September 11, 2024, following an earlier violation that involved furosemide, a diuretic often used as a masking agent.
In that case, Langat was handed a two-year suspension and had his competitive results disqualified from August 6, 2024.
However, further analysis of a sample collected from the runner on July 20, 2024, revealed the presence of testosterone and its metabolites, which led to a second charge. The Lausanne-based World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) laboratory confirmed the findings on July 14, 2025, ruling out any possibility of a therapeutic exemption or laboratory error.
Citing the use of multiple prohibited substances as an “aggravating circumstance”, the AIU ruled that his two separate violations would be treated together, resulting in a harsher penalty.
“Mr Langat has failed to establish that he did not knowingly commit the violations,” the AIU stated in its ruling.