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Athletes and officials based in Nyahururu will on Thursday hold demonstrations in the town to protest against a tag that the area is the hub of doping in the sport.

They see the new tag as a cause of alarm as it soils the name of the area which has produced many world beaters and globally records holders, some of which have remained unbroken for long.

Allegations about “Nyahururu being at the centre of doping” were made during a two-day gathering of coaches and school games teachers from the Central region held in Nyeri last week.

Prior to the demonstration, junior athletes are expected to attend an anti-doping training session today at the PCEA Church hall. Senior athletes will converge at the same venue tomorrow where they will be addressed by officials including top ones from the Athletics Kenya (AK) headquarters before proceeding on a procession in the streets of the town, according to Nyandarua AK chairman Francis Mwaniki.

The doping-hub-tag allegation has stirred coaches in the town to caution athletes to be very careful.

“Don’t agree to share water during training because you don’t know what your colleague has put in his or her water. Always treat your colleague as a suspect,” Coach Wakarindi told athletes under her after a morning training session at the Nyahururu stadium yesterday.

With a growing list of athletes who have been banned for doping this year, Kenya is running fast towards being banned from participating in global athletics competitions.

AK senior vice-president Paul Mutwii, speaking Kericho, said that sanctions are beckoning after foolproof evidence that some athletes had used banned substances.

“The situation is not good at all as the country could be barred from participating in major international competitions. The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is overly concerned with the vice of some Kenyan runners after it emerged that a number of athletes were violating anti-doping regulations,’’ said Mutwii.

He warned that soon the culprits including coaches and camp managers will be jailed if found guilty.