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Kenya official going home from Rio over doping allegations

FILE - In this Nov. 4, 2004 file photo, Kenya's Michael Rotich listens during a New York City Marathon press conference in New York. James Chacha, deputy chief of Kenya's Olympic team at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, said Rotich, an athletic official for Kenya at the Games, could be on "the next available flight" of out Rio de Janeiro, Brazil "if the allegations are true that he was actually asking for a bribe so that he can inform athletes when the officers from anti-doping are coming." (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File) FILE - In this Nov. 4, 2004 file photo, Kenya's Michael Rotich listens during a New York City Marathon press conference in New York. James Chacha, deputy chief of Kenya's Olympic team at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, said Rotich, an athletic official for Kenya at the Games, could be on "the next available flight" of out Rio de Janeiro, Brazil "if the allegations are true that he was actually asking for a bribe so that he can inform athletes when the officers from anti-doping are coming." (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

By Associated Press August 7, 2016 1 min read

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Olympic organizers say Kenya is sending a track and field official home from the Rio Games over “very serious allegations” that he offered to protect cheating athletes from drug testing.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams said the Kenya team feels that Michael Rotich’s continued presence in Rio de Janeiro would be “distracting.”

Kenya’s delegation “has asked that he leaves,” Adams said. “They are clearly very serious allegations”

The Sunday Times in London said the Kenyan track and field manager was secretly filmed offering to protect cheating athletes from drug testing authorities. It said he offered to provide advance warning of drugs tests in return for a 10,000-pound ($13,000) bribe during a Sunday Times undercover investigation.