Kenyan Athlete's rep quits over doping crisis
Last Updated: 13/03/16 12:18pm
The Kenyan athlete's representative Noah Ngeny has quit after becoming frustrated with the country's doping crisis.
The former 1500m Olympic Champion has said the country's sporting authorities were not doing enough to combat the problem ahead of the April 5 deadline.
Having already missed one WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) deadline, Kenya may face expulsion from the Rio Olympics this summer if they fail to successfully prove they can tackle the doping issue.
Kenya topped the 2015 World Cup Championships and are known for their dominance in endurance running, but more than 40 of its athletes have been banned for doping in the past three years. In addition, several senior officials have also been suspended for misusing funds among other allegations, although they deny any wrongdoing.
Ngeny's resignation comes just weeks after Athletics Kenya Chief Executive Isaac Mwangi was provisionally suspended by the Ethics Board of the sport's world governing body after allegations of seeking bribes to reduce doping suspensions of two athletes.
"Athletics Kenya (AK) has ignored my advice to spend money in sensitising athletes on matters of doping. I find that unacceptable," he said
Former AK President Isaiah Kiplagat, his former deputy David Okeyo, and former AK treasurer Joseph Kinyua have all been suspended by the IAAF Ethics Commission on charges of misusing funds from a sponsorship by sports manufacturer Nike.
"The best thing to do under such circumstances is call for elections to give officials a fresh mandate for running the federation," Ngeny said
Tuwei was not available for comment.
If they cannot make the deadline, Kenya will become the second country to be suspended after Russia were handed an indefinite ban from world athletics last November.
