Federico and Gabriel Rosa Issue Statement on Positive Test: “Doping in Kenya has become a plague, because of unscrupulous Kenyans doctors who approach the athletes”
by Rosa e Associati
April 7, 2017
LRC note: Below is the statement from Rosa e Associati, the sports agency headed by Gabriel Rosa and his son Federico, that represents Jemima Sumgong, the Olympic marathon champion, whose “A” sample tested positive for EPO.
If the facts were fully established, this has to be considered as a dramatic moment for Kenya and for our entire movement. The news has shocked us and we distance ourselves from what happened: as Rosa e Associati we’ve been following more than 2,000 Kenyan athletes over 27 years and the cases positive to controls were numerically insignificant and all in the last five years. This worries us a lot and highlights the uncontrolled spread of the phenomenon in Kenya over the recent years.
The Sign Outside of Sumgong’s Training Camp (photo via IAAF Day in the Life)
These episodes, especially the one that today concerns Jemima, grieve us a lot and push us to always do more in promoting the culture of legality and healthy sport competition for our athletes.
A case like this really hurts everyone: doping in Kenya has become a plague, because of unscrupulous Kenyans doctors who approach the athletes, brainwashing and subjecting them to illegal treatments. On this front, we are working closely with the Government and the Federation so that controls are intensified and those responsible are identified and prosecuted.
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The case of Jemima is the proof that controls begin to work better: this is the only positive note in a situation that we consider serious and complex and that encourages us to redouble the efforts to fight doping in Kenya and the criminal organizations of doctors who ruin the lives and careers of these kids.
Therefore, Rosa e Associati dissociates itself from any unsportsmanlike conduct and is offering its full cooperation to the authorities, serenely awaiting the reconstruction of the facts concerning Jemima Sumgong.
Rosa e Associati rejects whatever conjecture concerning its involvement in the personal choices of the athletes it represents and will strongly protect its integrity whenever necessary.