BREAKING: Kenya is forced to setup anti doping agency in Kenya

trollism wrote:

The IAAF don't test in nations that have trusted anti-doping setups. That's why it seems like these sketchy countries are getting some sort of special treatment.

They're not. The IAAF are just trying (badly I would imagine) to plug a gap and perhaps make it at least look fair to those nations that are subject to anti-doping protocols far more draconian than 'Pee in a pot please, and we'll see you again perhaps in a year, perhaps two'

Last I checked, tests in Kenya and Ethiopia were administered by testers from the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport.

Clerk wrote:

Lance Armstrong, Marion Jones are the best examples to show that you can pass hundreds of tests while doping. Kisorio is another example, as he explained that while he only got caught with a steriod, he was taking EPO consistently. Same thing with every passport case, which were able to pass the individual urine tests and blood tests, and were only caught with an analysis of their profile over time.

With the most advanced evasion methods available, and even then the ABP was catching up to them.

Jeff Wigand wrote:

Last I checked, tests in Kenya and Ethiopia were administered by testers from the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport.

On behalf of the IAAF.

Finally, but let's see how effective such a program will be.

Let's see if WR's suddenly go a long while before being broken again.

Clerk wrote:

[quote]Jeff Wigand wrote:

[quote]Clerk wrote:

Lance Armstrong, Marion Jones are the best examples to show that you can pass hundreds of tests while doping.

Lance armstrong WAS caught by a test. Total myth that he was not. The problem was that the cycling weenies didn't do anythign about it.

And jones did have a positive A sample, but the B checked out. For EPO, interestingly, not steroids.

but yes, both LA and MJ did pass many other tests despite being heavy users

trollism wrote:

Jeff Wigand wrote:

Last I checked, tests in Kenya and Ethiopia were administered by testers from the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport.

On behalf of the IAAF.

Yes. What is a more practical solution for countries as poor as these ones?

The other guy! wrote:

Kenyans have been running on a competitive level for a very long time. However, their ceiling used to be in line with the Japanese athletes (arguably the most honest people on earth).

Only since the influence of EUROPEAN coaches in Kenya have they dropped from 2:07/2:08 to 2:03/2:04.

Coincidence?

When was Japan ever at par with Kenya?

Ceiling nothing

Did Japan ever produce an athlete the caliber of John Ngugi or Henry Rono or Kipchoge Keino ?

Milan wrote:

The other guy! wrote:

Kenyans have been running on a competitive level for a very long time. However, their ceiling used to be in line with the Japanese athletes (arguably the most honest people on earth).

Only since the influence of EUROPEAN coaches in Kenya have they dropped from 2:07/2:08 to 2:03/2:04.

Coincidence?

When was Japan ever at par with Kenya?

Ceiling nothing

Did Japan ever produce an athlete the caliber of John Ngugi or Henry Rono or Kipchoge Keino ?

interesting stat:

Olympic marathon medals, men and women combined:

Kenya: 10

Japan: 9

Kenya doesn't have a record at the Olympics that reflects their prowess in the marathon. Historically, Ethiopia has done much better.

But Milan's point is valid. Who is the Japanese equivalent to Kip Keino, Mike Boit, Henry Rono, Joseph Cheshire, Paul Ereng, Sammy Koskei, etc.

Jeff Wigand wrote:

With the most advanced evasion methods available, and even then the ABP was catching up to them.

Go easy with the hyperbole.

Ed Hellebuyck describes that it doesn't take "the most advanced evasion methods available"

"Hellebuyck says. "All of these tests were negative, and they came after I was using EPO. You would do a cycle for about six weeks, and you inject every three days, and then it clears your system in 48 hours. So if you have a Sunday race, Thursday morning would be your last injection. Then you travel on Friday and by the time you got to the race and got tested, it's totally out of your system. This plan always worked for me. I was tested at Twin Cities. I was tested in Boston. I was tested pretty much every time I set an American masters record. The Providence 5-K, I was tested there. I'm not sure if I was tested after I won [the masters title] at the Carlsbad 5-K [in 2003], but I'd say that year I was tested a lot."

In 2012, Kenyan athletes went under 348 IAAF tests. There is no nation data for 2013.

2013 Individual testing data shows that 38 Kenyan athletes tested 1-3 times, and 40 athletes tested 4+ times. That includes in and out of competition testing. Even with assuming if the 38 athletes were tested 3 times (114 tests), it would take the 40 athletes each being tested 11 times throughout the year, to meet Canova's magic number to 10 tests per athlete. (And that's ignoring that his claim was for 10 OOC tests per week...)

So, the realistic expectation is that and athlete won't have very many OOC tests in Kenya (and no blood tests).

This fact, with Ed's details above, as well as evidence that there are 80 EPO derivatives available (not all are detectable) show that in fact it is easy to avoid testing positive.

Blah, blah,blah. I know you would love to believe this is all about your "coaching" any egotistical little man would. Get your head out of the sand, while i don't think you are involved if you don't think it is happening well ...............

The other guy! wrote:

This just in the news this morning. Kenya is being forced by WADA to implement a national anti doping agency.

DISCUSS

The Kenyans (nor the Ethiopians or several other nations) will never internally enforce anti-doping rules, will never stoop to being honest. The fact that African performances are dropping off in terms of the numbers of guys you see running sub 13 5K's and low 27 and sub 27 times in the 10K is a huge tip off. And that's just from the athletes (and dishonest "coaches" like Canova) worried about improvements in in-competition testing. The E. Africans have a lot of talent, but their numbers were artificially inflated and superiority inflated due to rampant drug use without having to worry about out of season testing. Never mind political correctness which has helped as well. As good as Haile, Kenny B, Daniel Komen and others were at their peaks, when they set their records they were without a doubt doped to their eyeballs. And turds like Canova know it.

That said, I doubt every E. African was doping, I don't every athlete from any country is doped - but it wasn't and isn't a few of them either. A guy like Rudisha or someone like Kiprop, is likely a monster talent. Not so for a lot of other guys.

They Will Not Test wrote:

The other guy! wrote:

This just in the news this morning. Kenya is being forced by WADA to implement a national anti doping agency.

DISCUSS

The fact that African performances are dropping off in terms of the numbers of guys you see running sub 13 5K's

but this isn't necessarily true - on another thread I compared sub 13s from 1999 and 2013 - it was something like 10 in 1999 and 7 in 2013.

Sure that's 3 guys - is that significant given the few races that have good enough conditions for a sub 13 attempt? Probably not. one windy day in monaco or one bad rabbit job would cancel that out.

agip wrote:

interesting stat:

Olympic marathon medals, men and women combined:

Kenya: 10

Japan: 9

With exceptions like Sammy Wanjiru, Kenyans always have been time trialers in Marathon. The heat+humidity conditions (and difficult courses) killed really great marathoners like Paul Tergat. That, and the stupidity of Athletics Kenya making bad decisions weeks before Olympic Games, trying to fix the workouts of Kenyan athletes.

Ethiopians did better, but not in the last years. First, Haile G. ducking Wanjiru with the "smog" excuses. Then, Ethiopian federation selected young inexperienced athletes like Abshero and specially Dino Sefir, don't counting the fact that Dubai is not the most difficult circuit. They thought that Abshero and Sefir were 2:04 athletes in a course like London-

I continue to see posters speaking of something they don’t know anything about.

For example, the idea in Kenya there are not antidoping tests. Kenyan athletes are the most tested in the World, and grand part of Urine EPO tests out of competition (631 in the World in 2013) are with Kenyan runners.

Among all the Kenyan athletes positive in the last 2 years, one (Erupe) was caught in a out of competition test, carried out in Kenya. And Mathew Kisorio was caught during National Championships, so this means tests can work in Kenya, too.

I repeat my question : somebody can say EXACTLY how many blood tests there were in 2013 in US ? And, for example, how many of the numerous tests carried out with Galen Rupp were blood tests ? This, not for some suspicion about Galen, but for demonstrating that the spread “belief” that American and European are tested, while African are not tested, is only a stereotype without any real foundation of truth.

When I read people comparing the situation of runners (especially African) with the situation of cyclists (always when we speak about doping there is somebody writing “never heard of Lance Armstrong ?”), it’s clear they really don’t know anything about our sport, at professional level.

One top cycling Team has a budget between 20 and 30 million of Euros (25 – 37 million of dollars).

The best cyclists have contracts for more than 2 millions Euros (2.5 millions dollars) per year (Nibali, Contador, Wiggins, Froome, Cancellara, etc…).

The budget of one of these Teams is 10 times bigger of the full budget of Athletic Kenya, and 200 times bigger than the budget of Ugandan Federation.

About the athletes, we can explain that there are no more than 20 runners in the World able earning in one year more than 100,000 USD (including the contract with technical Companies), men and women together, and this is the sector of first level. The best marathon runners can have ticket in business class, sometimes also their family (wife or husband and children) is invited and can have accommodation in the best suites in 5 stars Hotel (London, NY, Chicago, Boston, Berlin and Tokyo, not casually are called “Majors”).

But they don’t have yearly contracts such as players of soccer, football, basket, volley, hockey : they earn money if able to win. For example, Geoffrey Mutai probably earned something like 700,000 dollars in 2011 (when won Boston and NY), no more than 300,000 in 2012, when didn’t finish Boston.

About the champions on track, the situation is still worse. Thomas Longosiwa, my athletes with a PB of 12’49” in 5000m, bronze medal in Olympics and this year 2nd with 12’56” at the end of the season, earned 29,000 USD this year, running 6 times in Diamond League, 2 times 2nd , 3 times 4th and 1 time 5th).

The managers work with a percentage of 15% on the prizes of the athletes. This means the management of Thomas earned from him about 4,000 USD (so for Thomas only 25,000 remain).

The best Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes don’t want to stay long time abroad, at sea level, fearing to lose the shape without altitude. This means they travel every time, using about 4 days out of Kenya / Ethiopia when they have some important competition. Who stay for long time abroad are weak athletes only, able to win little money in small competitions, who needs to compete 15 times in two months for putting together a maximum of 3,000 USD at the end of the season.

You understand that, with this situation, thinking that managements (or also individuals) spend good money for buying EPO or similar PED is a total idiocy.

Instead, it’s true that many athletes get some pharmacy not legal, due to their ignorance (and the ignorance of local pharmacists), when ask for some medicine for current sicknesses.

Athletes of that level are normal persons, not really professional like the top. The most part of them don’t have any link with their management, going in touch for few minutes only when they receive a call from the agent able to arrange for them some small competition. For that reason, if they have some common problem (cold, flu, typhous) they go as “normal persons” to the pharmacist, who gives them the same medicines given to other “normal persons”.

That’s the reason because the most part of “doped” Kenyan are guilty for “Nandrolon”, substance diffused, also if in small quantity, in several medicines we can find in Kenya (coming mainly from India).

I can give you an example speaking what happened with Moses Kurgat, an athlete in my group because was in training with Abel Kirui.

He started for helping Abel during the preparation for WCh 2011, and at the end of the season ran his first marathon in Cannes on 20th November (3rd in 2:09:30). In 2012, again he trained with Abel, of course running only a part of his training, and on 22nd April ran in Enschede (3rd again in 2:09:59), while Abel ran London for qualifying for Olympic Games.

Running Abel OG, Moses for the first time had a plan for himself, and we preparing the marathon of Dong-A in Gongju (Korea). The guy is athlete of medium level, but that time he was more prepared. One week before Dong-A he started to have cold and cough. When already in Korea, two days before the race went to a pharmacy, together with the official translator (Korean-English) of the organization, and the translator explained the sympthoms Moses had. The doctor gave him a medicine against cough, and another for being able to breath, in the official package, of course written in Korean language.

Moses got tablets and syrup before the race. He ran well, 3rd in 2:08:30, winning a prize of 8,000 USD (for him a very good income). Of course there was the antidoping control, and when Moses was called for his test he was called if used some medicine before the race. He showed the two packages, and the doctors of antidoping wrote the name of the pharmac.

In the lab, they discovered the pharmac had a small percentage of salbutemol , illegal substance according to the WADA rules. He was banned for one year (from 23rd Oct 2012 till 14th Dec 2013) only, because IAAF recognized his “bona-fide”, and this allowed him to have his disqualification reduced. In any case, he lost the prize of Gongju and one full year of activity, without being guilty.

This situation is very common, among Kenyan athletes of second level.

But is very far from the situation of the top athletes, who can have a professional management teaching what they are allowed to do, and what they must not do.

Last thing : I remember one time, in 2011, when a task force of WADA came from South Africa for taking blood samples of many among the best Kenyan athletes. In Eldoret one day we had more than 20 top athletes giving their blood for some test (the samples were immediately sent South Africa). It was the first time I saw some doctor taking a sample of blood for doping tests in Kenya. When I ask if also in Kenya there was a new opportunity for taking samples of blood, the doctor answered “not yet, we are here for taking data in order to build the biological passport of the athletes”.

So, also if blood tests are not common practice, sometimes the best Kenyan athletes had blood tests out of competition for creating their biological profile.

The attack of WADA to AK for the lack of antidoping controls, with the excuse of “wide spread doping”, is something absolutely instrumental, due to the quantity of big names Kenyan produce, and the position of Kenya among the most important Country for athletics. But who knows the Kenyan athletic life is well able to distinguish between wrong believes and reality.

The drop off in performance on the 5K and 10K on the track is because these races are now rarely featured in the diamond league and in the case of the 10K it is not featured. As such every distance runner in East Africa now apsires to be a road racer. Forget the track. There is no money there. Look Rita Jeptoo just recently bagged $600,000 for winning the marathon series. Its impossible to pull that kinda money in the diamond league.

Most East African athletes aren't focusing on track anymore. It's very hard to get into top events, and those top events (Diamond League) don't pay very well. The old pattern of a select few getting the opportunity to prove their mettle on the track before moving up to the marathon is gone. There are a lot more opportunities on the roads, and lot more money too.

interesting stat:

Olympic marathon medals, men and women combined:

Kenya: 10

Japan: 9

Two things. Kalenjins are not as patriotic as kikuyus. Most Kalenjins do not do well unless there is prize money at stake. But kikuyu marathoners do well for patriotism only e.g. Eric Wainaiana, Douglas Wakihuuri, Catherine Ndereba, Sammy Wanjiru etc.

OK Jokes aside , Kenyans never did well in the marathon until there was prize money at stake.

Read this article