The elite Kenyan contingent in tomorrow’s London marathon have welcomed the country’s progress on anti-doping and said on Wednesday the public should believe they and most of their compatriots are running clean.
The Kenyan government passed a bill on Tuesday that will allow the setting up of a viable anti-doping operation in the east African country and will make the use of performance- enhancing drugs a criminal offence.
“Once the President (Uhuru Kenyatta) gives his assent, that gives us the go-ahead,” said twice London marathon winner Wilson Kipsang in a news conference featuring the top four finishers from last year, all Kenyan.
“Nothing was being done before because there was no policy or structure but now they can proceed. There is a wrong perception that all Kenyan athletes, or all athletes, are cheating. If someone is, let them be punished, but let the clean athletes run. We want to create that confidence that we are clean,” added Kipsang.
Defending London marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge also welcomed the new law that finally lifted the shadow of a possible Olympic ban for the distance powerhouse that has been rocked by more than 40 positive tests in recent years.
“That’s what WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) was waiting for in Kenya, so we are safe,” he said.
“We are working very hard in training and can assure the public we are clean. It’s the love of sport that makes us work so hard -- I invite you guys to come to Kenya to see our sessions.”
London marathon organiser Hugh Brasher said his organization and fellow major races were doing all they could to fight doping, having been caught out before. London is part of the World Marathon Majors group— along with Tokyo, Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York—and they have combined to produce what Brasher described as the “biggest privately-funding drugs testing operation” in sport.
“We are doing absolutely everything we can to have clean racing,” Brasher said.
“So with athlete biological passport testing, which is proven to be the most effective method, we are determined to have a clean sport and one I think the public will support.”
Brasher said his organisation was continuing to pursue women’s 2010 winner, Russian Liliya Shobukhova, who has since been banned, for her London marathon winnings.
“We have taken a court case against her to recover the money she fraudulently won from other athletes from her performances in London,” Brasher said.
“She was caught by athlete biological passport testing.”