Translated from the German newspaper "Süddeutsche Zeitung"
Athletics - 5000 euro for Doctor Rosa
15 per cent of the prize money for the managers, another 20 per cent to bribe the doping investigators: New allegations incriminate the coaches of various Kenyan runners - one week before the start of the World Championships in Athletics in London
By Johannes Knuth
The 16th World Athletics Championships, which will be held this Friday in London, will be accompanied by a "comprehensive" and "robust" anti-doping program. At least this is said by the "Athletics Integrity Unit" (AIU), which is, praised as independent by the World Federation, overseeing the controls and rules for the first time. Curious about it? 600 London urine tests are planned for London; the investigators have also orchestrated 2000 blood tests and 3000 urine tests over the past ten months. "The most important time for testing is the preparation when the athletes train large volumes," AIU reported. And: It was allegedly ensured that the national associations and agencies "maximize" their controls in the preparation. Clean!
Such cheering messages do not fit well into new knowledge, which relates to the fight against fraud in athletics. For example in Kenya. The fact that the country's talented endurance athletes not only profit on the advantages of their highlands, but also manifestly from doping and corruption, has long been known. 40 doping cases have been documented since 2012, including prominent marathon runners such as Rita Jeptoo and Rio winner Jemima Sumgong. Both were busted with the blood doping classic Epo. Both were employed by the Italians Gabriele Rosa and his son Federico, two of the best-known managers who have been working in the field of the African running scene for years. Federico was arrested in Kenya last year and released without sanctions. An intrigue of his rivals, he raged. The culprits, he claimed, were greedy doctors, who would dope athletes and earn money from it.
Several athletes, however, now report that the source of the fraud lies with the Rosas. Jeptoo recently testified before a Kenyan court against Claudio Berardelli, a pupil of the Rosas. She said that before the Marathon three years ago in Chicago the manager had given her an injection, which miraculously drove away her tendon pain. Shortly thereafter the announcement: positive, Epo. And the former Rosa-protege Matthew Sigei now claims on the ZDF [German public TV] that Rosa senior sometimes led the athletes before a race into a room where a doctor administered syringes. Sigei says he took Epo for four years, cashing in 80,000 euros. He gave 15 percent to the Rosas, and another 20 percent as grease money to the testers. "If you give Doctor Rosa 5000 euros, he'll bribe the testers for not busting you," says another athlete on ZDF. Those testers from the national agency, which, according to the integrity watchers of the World Federation, have maximized their controls.
A tester, allegedly working for the Kenyan agency ADAK, confirms that athletes are actually caught. In this case the managers are contacted first, says the tester. Most of them would pay to make the positive tests disappear, providing a nice side-deal. Sumgong's test was allegedly only published to present a successful operation. In addition, she had been tested positive before, but then there were problems with the Rosas and the money. The Rosas, by the way, are denying everything, claiming that there are only statements, no evidence. The World Anti-Doping Agency announced that they had called in their own research unit.
The rise of Kenya's runners is closely linked to Gabriele Rosa. When the sports physician from Brescia was training the first athletes in 1990, there was one Kenyan among the 100 world's best marathon racers. And then came Rosa, caring for "Kenya's talents with the skills of the famous wine growers of his homeland," as the newspaper Daily Nation praised. Kenya's men delivered 76 of the fastest 100 marathons last year, the women 29. The track athletes were the most successful delegation at the 2015 World Championships. Many are favorites in London, too.
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/leichtathletik-euro-fuer-doktor-rosa-1.3610505