Fresh doping scandal hits Athletics Kenya
Kenya and Russia are the subject of new doping allegations a documentary aired on Saturday by German broadcaster ARD.
The documentary — “Doping – Top Secret: The Shadowy World of Athletics” — leaked results from 12,000 blood tests taken from 5,000 competitors allegedly demonstrated instances of cheating and “a shameful betrayal” of clean athletes.
ARD as well as Britain’s Sunday Times say they passed on their information to leading blood doping experts who concluded that track and field is in “the same diabolical position today that professional cycling was in 20 years ago”.
ARD, who last December aired similar accusations of doping and corruption in Russia, returned to the controversy just three weeks out from the world championships in Beijing.
“MASSIVE CORRUPTION”
Journalists also returned to Kenya where they claim another hidden camera showed injections of “dangerous” doping products being administered.
The programme claimed that there is “massive corruption” within the Kenyan set-up and “a desire to cover-up doping… to the summit of the Kenyan athletics federation”.
Kenya was rocked this year when marathon star Rita Jeptoo was banned for two years after being caught doping with the banned blood-boosting hormone EPO.
“Since 2006, I have not been forced to do a single blood test in Kenya,” the 34-year-old is quoted as saying by ARD, adding that only urine tests were carried out.