LONDON (AP) – Preparing to defend his London Marathon title, Eliud Kipchoge is relieved that Kenyan athletes won’t face a possible ban from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
IAAF President Sebastian Coe had warned that Kenya could join Russia in being banned from international competitions by track and field’s governing body.
But Kenyan lawmakers this week passed a law criminalizing doping, one of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s demands to avoid being declared non-compliant with its code by a final May 2 deadline.
Kipchoge says the law was what “WADA was waiting for in Kenya, so we are safe” for the Olympics.
Dozens of Kenyans have been banned for doping since the 2012 Olympics in London, prompting WADA to demand that anti-doping procedures be strengthened. There have also been allegations of extortion and cover-ups by Kenyan federation officials.