AP Article: http://espn.go.com/sports/endurance/story/_/id/12679686/kenya-suspends-agents-world-record-holder-dennis-kimetto-othersWow, this is enormous news. This could destroy the year for a number of top and mid-level Kenyans.To get an idea of how the typical elite Kenyan might be responding, here we have word from Asbel Kiprop, who is represented by Dr. Rosa and trained based at Claudio's camp, talking to Mutuota and Capital FM:from the articlehttps://www.capitalfm.co.ke/sports/2015/04/13/ak-suspends-rosa-volare-for-six-months/?hc_location=ufi
and
Here we see Kiprop being thoughtful and articulate, as he often is when communicating with the press. (Kiprop has had a number of documented problems with relationships and the media reporting on them, but he is quite often sensitively articulate)
Timescale - Athletics Kenya (AK) could not have picked a more severe time window, except for an olympic year
6 months from today is October 13, a span that encompasses all of the biggest spring marathons, the majority of the track season including the championships, and most if not all of the big fall marathons.
Implications - AK will seek to fill the power vacuum? A scary thought
Will elite athletes now be represented by AK, or AK-approved agents? If so, this is very shaky news for top Kenyans, given AK's history. Try to imagine AK telling Kiprop he can go to worlds but needs to train under their supervision, and run their races, for the summer beforehand.
It seems highly probable, given what is seen in almost every other sport where doping offers a big advantage (cycling, American football), that networks of agents, athletes, managers, sport administrators and doctors have wink-wink agreements going on. If AK is going to attempt to "clean up" this mess, basically on their own, it's highly likely that both the clean-up and the interim power-grab is going to be a bungled process.
Are we going to see lawsuits by banned managers and agents? Wouldn't surprise me, especially if AK is acting unilaterally, with some newly-concocted anti-doping agency. Not sure how this will all play out within the Kenyan legal system.
Athletes get screwed?
There may be some athletes willingly cheating who need to be punished. However, there are likely going to be a great number of casualties who deserve no punishment. Personally, I don't believe the situation is like cycling was, where literally everyone was doping. They wouldn't even let you get on a bike without some fresh cow blood in ya.
As Kiprop says, the agents and managers themselves will be fine. They'll just live in Europe. AK will be fine, because they will gladly employ more of an iron grip on the athletes, forcing them to compete more domestically, and generally being a pain in the ass about their travel and racing schedules. And they'll be more than happy to have credit coming their way, rather than credit (and money) going through Italian and Dutch intermediaries. Good for AK, bad for a bunch of athletes.
In the long run, AK may find a way to get their act together. But as we see with USATF or NFL in the USA, organizing bodies rarely find a way to get out of their own way, and usually end up representing themselves and the power-hungry #wearethe15% better than the actual athletes or constituents. Almost everything close observers see from AK, including this harsh and hasty decision, indicate that they will completely bungle this situation.
Prominent Italian coach moved to Ethiopia just in time?
Just sayin. Whether he ever is proven to be involved in the doping, perhaps he could see the writing on the wall. Not his first time 'reading the cards' of a crooked national governing body.
Shock! This just in! AK finds problems with foreign agents!
Anyone want to put money on the following outcome: Athletics Kenya and their anti-doping committee will find all sorts of problems with foreign agents, but will have a really hard time finding any culpability within their own ranks. Just like the NFL had a gosh darn hard time finding any evidence they ever knew anything about the Ray Rice case, and the Intl Cycling body just had such a darn hard time uncovering their cover-ups of Lance.
Record US Distance Medal Haul in 2015
What many people do not understand is how hard the agents and managers that work in Kenya fight with AK for their athletes' benefit. With prominent managers and agents sidelined for the world championships, and AK calling the shots with training and racing and team selection, we could expect a somewhat weakened Kenyan contingent at the actual champs. Now, they're still better than everyone except the other top East Africans, but you know, maybe they'll be a little bit down.
This AK move may be total overreaction and overcompensating... but there's something great about actually seeing a country try to eradicate its doping problem
Are you reading this, Russian federation? EPOpians? Jamaica/America sprint scene?
Actually, on second thought, it's only easy to say "this is great" from a distance. If any of us were on the ground there, it would probably look like a disaster. Rather than deal with cases individually and carefully, it looks like AK has just broadly banned the two big representatives, without any evidence shown for why. No needles, no doctor's receipts, no A samples, no plea bargains. And we're supposed to be calmed by this thought: AK plans to work with the IAAF (now there are two organizing bodies you can trust) to help the boatload of athletes in the meantime. In a situation that seems to call for solid care and planning, instead we're going to get a big messy debacle.
No other country, to be fair, has really set a great example for Kenya as far as doping goes. This likely disaster is, sadly, what should be expected.