ADAK clears 125 athletes for World Champs trials in July

Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) acting CEO Peninah Wahome during a media briefing in Nairobi. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

One hundred and twenty-five athletes have successfully undergone the first phase of the anti-doping requirements by the World Athletics ahead of the Tokyo 2025 World Championships national trials set for Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi on July 11-12.

Twenty athletes missed the May 24 deadline for the opening phase of the three-round testing requirements by the global athletics body to enable them to take part in the forthcoming global showpiece slated for Japan in September.

“We were presented with a list of 145 athletes by Athletics Kenya to conduct the test ahead of the World Championships. So far, 20 have not undergone the first round testing despite all the efforts that we have marshalled to track them. We know nothing about their whereabouts, and they have not been present at the weekend AK meets.

“It seems some of them are not interested in the World Championships, and many of them are also based outside the country,” Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) Head of Education and Research, Martin Yauma, told Standard Sports.

Yauma confirmed that they are currently doing the second phase of the tests, with the last round scheduled to be conducted after the July national trials.

“Only clean athletes will head to Tokyo to represent Kenya at the Worlds,” ADAK acting Chief Executive Officer Peninah Wahome reiterated at a press conference in Nairobi yesterday.

ADAK Head of Legal, Bildad Rogoncho, hailed their fight against doping, saying the numbers have drastically gone down this season.

“So far, in this new calendar year, we have only 14 new cases, of which 10 are from the prohibited substances, while four have been on whereabouts failure,” Rogoncho highlighted.

Meanwhile, ADAK is smiling all the way to the bank following the reinstatement of their annual budget by the State.