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IAAF to host anti-doping seminar in Kenya

2015-02-09 10:50 Xinhuanet

NAIROBI, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) will next week organize a one-day seminar in Nairobi to discus escalating doping cases in Kenya.

Athletics Kenya (AK) President Isaiah Kiplagat revealed on Thursday that IAAF is concerned with the escalating dope cases in the country and will be talking with elite athletes on Feb. 13 to try and understand their challenges and also advice them on best way to remain and compete clean.

"With over 40 athletes having found guilty of doping in 2014, which include Chicago and Boston marathon Champion Rita Jeptoo, Kenya is one of the country with highest number of cheats in the world," Kiplagat said.

"It is a group of athletes keen to force their way into the top using wrong means. We have to educate them to remain clean and stop use of performance enhancement drugs or any other means that are not genuine," said Kiplagat, who is a member of the IAAF Council, the supreme body of the global athletics federation.

Kenya will also host a battery of international agents and managers to try and harmonize their training programs with what they want and also discuss with them the issues of doping.

"At the end of the year, we will probably sit down with agents and review the progress and see which agent has the high number of athletes found doping. We will then discuss with him and see what best way to help and in worst scenario deregister him," said Kiplagat.

The two meetings will come just a day before Kenya stages its selection for the World Cross Country Championships, which will be held in Guiyang, China on March 28. Kenya will enter a team of 24 athletes in the championships aiming to retain the overall position.

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