Does anyone know if EPO or whatever else might be used is cheaper in Kenya (or some other African country) as opposed to in the US and Europe? I know when we take a cruise to Mexico we buy medication for much cheaper there than we can get here.
We know for a fact that there have been some big name busts of Kenyan athletes. On the surface I also like the argument that the cost and knowledge of even how to do it would be prohibitive to the "rural farmer turned runner" prototype.
So I guess I am to believe that these super talented athletes like Rita Jeptoo or Matthew Kisorio made big money first, then decided to use EPO (or whatever it was). That just doesn't make sense.
Then you get someone like Jama Aden but we are told that is a bad example to use. But how is that a bad example when the only argument is that there is a lot of doping in athletics? Doesn't matter what the motivation behind their training is (money, world record, medals, ...)
What I personally believe is that the East Africans in general have both the right genetics and right training environment to excel, but I also think there are coaches and managers out there saying "trust me, just take this it's ok."
I watched a documentary about a month ago about a German coach/manager and these two Kenyan athletes, and honestly it was quite disturbing to see. It is exactly the situation that creates the pressure on the athletes to do things they aren't certain of.