Athletics Integrity Unit suspends three Kenyan athletes for doping

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced that three Kenyan athletes had been given suspensions for consuming illegal substances.

Mark Otieno Odhiambo in a file photo (Credits - Twitter)
By Abhiruchi Rout | Dec 20, 2022 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced that three Kenyan athletes had been given two- to three-year suspensions for consuming illegal substances. Sprinter Mark Otieno Odhiambo received a two-year suspension for using Methasterone after testing positive during the Tokyo Olympics. His disqualification will apply to all of his results dating back to June 24, 2021 while his ban began on July 31, 2021. Road runners Maiyo Johnstone Kibet and Alice Jepkemboi Kimutai have been suspended for three years for the presence of EPO and Testosterone, respectively. All decisions are subject to review by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Mark Otieno Odhiambo specializes in 100m and 200m sprinting and has also represented the country in the men’s 100 meters at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics. While Alice Kimutai won the Porto Marathon 2022 which was held in the month of November. Some of the top athletes who got banned this year include the winner of the Boston Marathon 2021 Diana Kipyokei, 2014 Commonwealth Games and African 10,000 metres champion Joyce Chepkirui and Betty Wilson Lempus.

According to a report by Reuters dated November 25, 2022, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), a non-profit organisation established by World Athletics to combat doping in sports, had disqualified and temporarily suspended fifty-five Kenyan athletes. The East African country is globally renowned for its middle and long-distance runners, who have won multiple gold medals in Olympics and World Championships. Under World Athletics’ Anti-Doping Rules, Kenya is classified as a ‘Category A’ country, which means that its athletes must submit to at least three no-notice, out-of-competition urine and blood testing before key competitions. The World Athletics could, however, decide to ban the athletics superpower nation from competing on the international stage as a result of the rising number of its runners testing positive.





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