Some athletes to blame for aiding doping, declares Yego

Kenya’s former world javelin champion Julius Yego says athletes have benefited a great deal in education on anti-doping rules and regulations from Athletics Kenya (AK), Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) and Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).

He blames increased cases of violation of anti-doping rules on athletes who knowingly aid and abet doping which points at a well-oiled syndicate.

“We have been told enough in terms of training by ADAK, AK and AIU, and we have seen them now even go further to teach the young athletes,” Yego said on NTV’s Monday night sports show, SportOn!

“I can blame it (increased cased of violation of anti-doping rules) on ignorance and arrogance of some few athletes who want to beat the system but they are being caught,” said Yego.

Speaking during Monday’s SportOn! show, Athletics Kenya executive committee member Barnabas Korir said AK had furnished ADAK with information so they can investigate doping cartels further and prosecute the offenders.

Korir said, on the bright side, the number of athletes caught violating anti-doping rules proves that the system is working.

Many of the Kenyan athletes banned were found to have used Norandrosterone and Triamcinolone.

Also speaking on Monday’s SportOn! Show, ADAK’s head of legal affairs Bildad Rogoncho also revealed that some athletes were presenting fake doctors’ prescriptions with a view to getting off the hook under the permissible Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) rule that allows athletes to used substances on the banned list purely for medication purposes.

“We have mechanisms and we can investigate and know the truth and my advice to them is to just do the right thing,” Rogoncho warned.