War against doping goes to streets of Nyahururu
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga (left) chats with former world marathon champion Catherine Ndereba after closing a two-day seminar for athletics coaches in Nyeri town on October 22, 2022.
What you need to know:
- Meanwhile, Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga has called upon coaches to be on the frontline in the fight against doping terming them as the primary caretakers of the athletes.
- The county chief said that the war against the vice can only be won if the trainers commit to promoting clean sports and integrity among the sportsmen and women.
Various stakeholders in athletics will take Thursday to the streets of Nyahururu town to demonstrate against increased violation of anti-doping rules.
The move comes at a time when a number of big Kenyan distance running names are being suspended by Athletics Integrity Unity (AIU) for anti-doping offences.
“Enough is enough! That will be the message today. We will be sending a stern warning to anyone out there who is frustrating our efforts in this fight,” said David Miano, the Central Region Athletics Kenya (AK) chairman.
Miano, who is also AK’s national treasurer, pointed out that AK and the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) have done enough in creating awareness and educating runners and coaches about the vice, “but nothing seems to be working.”
Kenya was placed in Category ‘A’ of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s compliance watch list back in 2016 for the country’s vulnerability to flouting anti-doping protocols, but the vice seems to be getting rampant as close to 30 runners have been sanctioned this year alone for various offences.
Miano said if the trend continues, then Kenya is at risk of being banned from global competition by World Athletics which would, in turn, killing many elite running careers.
He revealed that Nyahururu has been marked as a hotspot for doping being the home of over 10 athletics clubs and training camps.
Meanwhile, Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga has called upon coaches to be on the frontline in the fight against doping terming them as the primary caretakers of the athletes.
The county chief said that the war against the vice can only be won if the trainers commit to promoting clean sports and integrity among the sportsmen and women.
“Nowadays I even fear perusing sports pages because of the bad news. Can you coach our sportsmen and women and make them believe that they can win without doping? Instill confidence in them,” said Kahiga.
Speaking during a seminar for coaches from the Central region in the last weekend, Kahiga, who is also the regional AK secretary, urged the coaches to restore the glory of sports by moulding talents through the proper programmes and training.
“Some of these athletes do not know what doping is about. It is you the handlers who at times introduce these things because you have the pressure either from your managers or maybe to become rich faster,” said Kahiga.
With the world becoming a digital village, Kahiga urged the participants to use the internet to widen their knowledge to the already well-exposed runners.
“The people you are dealing with are well connected now. We have numerous examples of world-beaters who have trained through YouTube and ended up on the global podium. Get to the internet now and then to be at par with the fast-changing world,” said Kahiga.
The leader pointed out that there is a need for the Ministry of Education to work with the sports federations in a bid to harmonize talent development.
At the same time, Miano urged governors from the region to consider allocating bigger budgets to the sport’s development.
last weekend’s seminar was graced by, among others, former world marathon champion and record holder Catherine Ndereba, her fellow former world marathon champion Douglas Wakiihuri, African race walk champion Samuel Gathimba and six-time Lewa marathon champion Philemon Gitia.
The seminar brought together 30 coaches from Nyeri, Kiambu, Kirinyaga, Nyandarua, and Murang’a counties to learn about the new IAAF regulations.
