• “We will collaborate with partners, sportsmen, and their contacts to tackle doping that threatens our heritage,” President Ruto said.
• CS Namwamba lauded the world governing body for listening to Kenya’s concerns, saying: “We agreed that we had a problem and moved on to plan how to deal with it head-on.”
Image: HANDOUT
World Athletics President Lord Sebastian Coe has praised Kenya’s anti-doping campaign.
The WA honcho said he was pleased with the government’s commitment so far after meeting with President William Ruto at State House on Thursday.
“Today’s meeting is to reaffirm the commitment from World Athletics to stand by you,” he said.
Coe spoke hours after the government set aside Sh3 billion for the next five years to aid in the fight against doping.
During the meeting, President Ruto said Kenya will not spare any efforts in the fight against doping.
The President stated that the government will go above and beyond to protect athletics integrity.
“We will collaborate with partners, sportsmen, and their contacts to tackle doping that threatens our heritage,” Ruto said.
In his message, the president emphasised Kenya’s commitment to maintaining its reputation and heritage as a country that is renowned for its athletics achievements. Coe admitted he was under pressure to crack the whip in the lead-up to the WA Council meeting.
“I was getting questions. The global media was reporting on Kenya’s growing number of positives. Understandably, the federations wanted to learn more about the situation and what the Athletics Integrity Unit was doing,” said Coe.
As opposed to Russia, Kenya doesn’t support doping, he noted.
“There is a significant difference between the challenge we faced in Russia and the challenge we faced in Kenya. In Russia, there was an initial cover-up and avoiding the challenge. There is no suggestion that this is the situation in Kenya,” said Coe.
CS Namwamba lauded the world governing body for listening to Kenya’s concerns, saying: “We agreed that we had a problem and moved on to plan how to deal with it head-on.”
He stated that the government would continue to support ADAK and Athletics Kenya.
“We are in a good position to fight this war, and we will win,” he added.
Meanwhile, Namwamba has confirmed Kenya’s bid for the 2029 World Athletics Championships.
The CS spoke while hosting Coe at a Nairobi hotel on Thursday.
“Kenya will present an official bid to host the World Championships in 2029 as well as launch the bid to host CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2027,” Namwamba said.
Coe, who arrived in the country on Wednesday, backed the move, saying Kenya’s rich athletic heritage makes it the perfect candidate for the world’s biggest event.
“We had an excellent Under-18 championship in 2017 — just two years after I was elected — and an outstanding Under-20 championship in 2021,” Coe said. “So it’s understandable that a country with a passion for athletics would want to host the biggest event. I heard this morning that 2029 is more important to you than 2027,” he added.
AK president Tuwei stated that they would step up efforts to bring the event to Kenya, saying: “We’ve not given up on hosting the World Championships despite losing the 2025 bid to Tokyo.”