Nairobi, Kenya (Commonwealth Union)_ Rhonex Kipruto, Wilson Kipsang, Abraham Kiptum, Jemima Sumgong, Daniel Wanjiru, Asbel Kiprop, Elijah Manangoi are Olympic medalists, international marathon winners, and triple medalists but now stand high on Kenya’s roll of dishonor. These are not the only names however; the numbers who have been caught doping, are swelling.
While athletics has had a long history of doping scandals, Kenya was one country that seemed to have escaped the scourge, purporting to keep sports clean, working on a ‘nature and nurture’ ethos. But with big money being the lure, Kenya’s label as the long-distance powerhouse is crumbling. Athletes are succumbing to temptation, turning to performance-enhancing drugs to keep their purses overflowing.
In a surprising observation, the Head of the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) Brett Clothier has been tasked with cleaning up the mess. He stated that the numbers will keep rising in the next few years and the country will have to bear the shame of more high-profile athletes getting caught in the doping web, losing their reputation, and their income, and dragging down the sport.
It is this phenomenon of rising numbers that puts the spotlight on how massive the doping minefield is and that a solution has to be found. In 2022, 76 percent of the winners in the world’s 50 Gold Label races which are the world’s biggest road races (not counting Boston, London, New York, Chicago, Berlin, and Tokyo marathons), had not been tested prior to their victory. About 80 percent of the untested athletes who make it to the winning podium are from the distance-running superpowers of Kenya and Ethiopia.
Clothier deduced that if hundreds of athletes running long-distance know they are not going to be tested, the motivation to dope is inordinately high because of the large winnings.
The winnings in lower-profile races are massive. The well-established London marathon for example offers a mere USD 75,000 to the winner, compared to the Nagoya Women’s Marathon which gives USD 250,000. With road running considered one of the most lucrative income earners in Kenya, it is no wonder that professional runners strive for continued triumphs, even if it means adding illicit performance-enhancing substances to their diet. It is also hard to stay at the top given Kenya’s prowess in road running, so doping would be key for professional runners to maintain their trailblazing careers.
Doping seems to be prolific in Kenya with 138 Kenyan athletes testing positive between 2004 and 2018, according to a report by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Only 14 percent however were caught in an out-of-competition test as Kenyans were not tested at home for a long time. With income being the biggest factor, which sustains not just families but entire tribes, the winnings of a mere USD 10,000 could sustain them for a year at least. Hence, the runners obviously opt to anything including the risk of shame, ban, and eventually health risks. Some are even resorting to criminal activity, forging letters for example, from non-existent doctors stating the administration of intramuscular injections which never took place or altering medical records. Kenya is now on an uphill climb. The fact that more athletes are testing positive, means the country is uncovering a massive criminal ring that preys on the health and safety of athletes in their most vulnerable time. It also means that if more cases are uncovered, the spotlight on finding a permanent solution becomes that much more urgent. So, while the list will get longer, what is assured is that short-term pain will bring long-term gain.
