Seb Coe: Why Kenya cannot be downplayed in war against doping

It was celebrated at the greatest 10-day span in mile history.

Inside 240 hours in August, 1981, the mile world record was shattered three times, the honours see-sawing between Britons Seb Coe and Steve Ovett.

It was the “golden era” of British middle distance running with Coe throwing down the gauntlet by outpacing Kenya’s Mike Boit to set the world’s best time in the mile at three minutes, 48.53 seconds at the Weltklasse meeting in Zurich on August 19, 1981.

Seven days later, Ovett improved the mark to 3:48:40 in Koblenz, Germany, before Coe reclaimed it just 48 hours later at the “Golden Mile” race of the Ivo Van Damme Memorial meeting, clocking 3:47:33 in Brussels’ Heizel Stadium.

And for the second time, Boit chased Coe down to the wire and was rewarded with a lifetime best 3:49:45.

At the time, Boit had spent some training hours with Coe and their “rabbit” Tom Byers, a Ohio State University alumnus celebrated for his first class pace-making.

Boit’s contribution to Coe’s records, and Kenya’s influence on the British legend, is not lost on the now World Athletics President.

On Thursday evening, Coe recalled his running days with Boit, et al, saying his admiration for Kenyan distance running makes him uncomfortable whenever the country is caught in the anti-doping cross-hairs.

Coe, 66, also an Olympic champion and former Tory Member of Parliament for Falmouth and Camborne in the British Parliament, said Kenya holds a special place in global athletics.

Responding to a question from Nation Sport after delivering his traditional, end-year “state of the nation” address, the World Athletics supremo said he is happy with steps the Kenyan government, Athletics Kenya and the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) have taken in the war against the increased cases of violation of anti-doping rules.

“I’m relieved that all the organisations in Kenya that I speak to, including Athletics Kenya, the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya and the Ministry of Sport and Government, don't consider it (Kenyan doping situation) to be a storm in a teacup. I don’t think they would be devoting that kind of resource (additional $5 million annually for the next five years) if they thought it were,” Coe said.

He also noted that there’s a very clear protocol around Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) when athletes are allowed to use certain substances on the banned list solely for medication purposes.

“If an athlete can genuinely prove that he or she has a medical condition that needs treatment and can be done in a way that does not unacceptably enhance performance – and we are very well tried and tested in this area – then that athlete can apply for Therapeutic Use Exemption,” explained Coe.

“I see no reason why an athlete anywhere in the world should be self-medicating if they haven’t had a proper diagnosis. That diagnosis, if done properly and done through bona fide medical experts, will be effected when it comes to be considered under Therapeutic Use Exemption.”

Use of TUEs

The World Athletics boss noted there has been a “dramatic reduction” in applications for Therapeutic Use Exemption.

Digging into his personal relationship with Kenyan athletics, Coe said Kenyan runners were central to his illustrious running career that saw him win two Olympic 1,500 metres gold medals and as many silver medals in the 800 metres at the Moscow (1980) and Los Angeles (1984) Olympic Games.

He maintained that the Kenyan exchequer wasn’t ill-advised to vote more funding towards the fight against doping at a time some of the country’s regions are staring at starvation in the face and millions of Kenyans in dire need for better healthcare.

“Politics, as I know it as a Minister and Member of Parliament for a period of time, is about the arena of scarce resources, and claims and cases will always be made,” the ex-Conservative Party MP explained while supporting Kenya’s decision to vote $5 million (Sh614 million) annually for the next five years towards anti-doping.

“I’ve spent my life in sport making those cases to government across a whole range of activities, whether it’s infrastructure, or about programmes that allow athletes the opportunity to fashion their future through sport… I will always go on making those cases.

“Let me again personalise it: My athletics career was in a large part shaped inspirationally and by its values through Kenyan athletics…

“Kip Keino was one of my heroes, I raced against Mike Boit, Ben Jipcho was a distance god… and I could go all the way until 2012 when David Rudisha grabbed the attention of the whole world and did something I didn’t think I would see in my lifetime as an athletics spectator (800 metres world record of 1:40.91).

“So I think it’s really important that Kenya deals with this issue (war against doping) because you are not just your average athletics nation.

“This is not some countries in the world where athletics is ‘a nice to have sport and we will work as hard as possible to promote it.’ This (athletics) is deep in your DNA. This is what you are passionate about and I think the right decision has been made to absolutely try to get to grips with this.

“And, yes, these things (anti-doping) are not cheap! I would prefer, as President of World Athletics, not to be spending eight million dollars a year on the Athletics Integrity Unit. I would prefer to see that money, if I could, going into frontline athletics support for nations and to the pockets of athletes.

“We have a challenge to deal with, and unless we deal with that, then all of us, individually and collectively as a sport, nationally and globally, will be weaker.

“The world needs clean Kenyan athletes that have the confidence of the rest of the world whenever they set foot on the track and on the roads,” said Coe, who is also the third fastest 800m runner ever (1:41.73) behind Rudisha (1:40.91) and Kenyan-Dane Wilson Kipketer (1:41.11).

When he was awarded the golden trophy at the 1981 “Golden Mile” run in Brussels for his world record, the last of his mile world records, Coe nudged second-placed Boit onto the top podium place proclaiming, at the time, that “his being there made it for me,” referring to how Boit pushed him to the tape for his memorable win.

“We put him up for not growing old. He’s 10 years older than I am. His was the run of the evening,” Coe said in Brussels, celebrating Boit’s mile PB of 3:48.53.

Kenya remains in Category “A” in the global anti-doping watch-list owing to the country’s high risk of violating anti-doping protocols.

The country recently escaped a ban from international competition after the government pledged to increase financing to the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya and Athletics Kenya, pledging $5 million annually for the next five years.