EMBU, Kenya (AP) – Two Kenyan athletes banned for doping at the 2015 world championships say the chief executive of Athletics Kenya, the country’s governing body for track and field, asked them each for a US $24,000 bribe to reduce their suspensions.
Joy Sakari and Francisca Koki Manunga have told The Associated Press that CEO Isaac Mwangi asked for the payment in an Oct. 16 meeting. They said they could not raise the money. They were banned until 2019.
Mwangi is denying the allegation as “just a joke” and says he never met the athletes privately.
The runners say they would be willing to testify to the IAAF ethics commission that is investigating alleged corruption at Athletics Kenya.
The lead investigator, Sharad Rao, says their decision to come forward could be “very, very significant.”