Eliud Kipchoge shares insights on how to free Kenya from shackles of doping
Kenya is currently ranked in Category A, having the highest doping risk according to the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules.
World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge has shared that the fight against doping in the country will be more effective if the approach towards the menace is changed.
Kipchoge, speaking to Al Jazeera, insisted that there should be more testing done other than more education.
The four-time Berlin Marathon champion noted that everyone is knowledgeable and education on doping should not be given as much priority as it is being given at the moment.
He, however, cautioned that those were just thoughts of his and they should not necessarily be followed.
“I think the measures are really enough…but they need to change their tactics from giving more education to more testing. We are in a world where everyone is actually well-educated.
"If we want to kill the menace as fast as we can, the only way is to put all the resources on testing purely…not education at all. I may be wrong…but these are just my thoughts,” he said.
The four-time London Marathon champion added that in order to seal the loopholes, people in authority should work around the clock to ensure that all the coaches, physiotherapists, and athletes are clean.
He noted that the Ministry of Sports, Athletics Kenya, and the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) should work together to ensure that the doping menace should be a thing of the past.
“The authorities have the power to investigate and find out all those people that are aiding the dopers. All of them should be tested and with that move, Kenya shall be free.
"But if you give education without testing, it’s like you are doing nothing. It’s good to get knowledge but it’s also good to be practical,” he said.
He added that more athletes dope because they want to quickly get rich but he insisted that running clean is honorable.
“It’s not a one-night event…it might take years before you get to the top. If you put your mind on money…you will crash. When you want money, you tend to use shortcuts to get to the top but the glory is short-lived,” he warned.
Speaking on the exploitation of athletes in the camp, Kipchoge advised that Athletics Kenya should ensure that all the coaches are registered. He was also irked by the poor state of training camps in the country
“I’m still active in the sport but I always advise Athletics Kenya to ensure that all the coaches and athletes are registered. This will make it easy to know which coach manages a certain athlete in case of a challenge.
"If we leave our country to be free without following any rules, things will keep being detrimental to athletes. I’m sorry to say that there are no camps in Kenya, maybe five, others are just private accommodations and that’s why coaches feel the need to do what they want,” he said.
posted Thursday July 6th
by Abigael Wafula