The World Anti-Doping Agency’s compliance review committee unanimously recommended yesterday that Kenya be found in non-compliance with the WADA Code with immediate effect.
The surprise move could lead to Kenyan athletes missing August’s Rio Olympics if the International Olympic Committee (IOC) so deems. Only the IOC can ban a sport or country from the Olympics. According to WADA, the compliance review committee cited issues with Kenya’s new legislation which it says is not in line with the WADA code.
“They are sufficiently major changes that they wouldn’t be operating under the same rules as everybody else so we need to get it right,” WADA president Craig Reedie told Reuters. Under the WADA Code, non-compliant countries and sporting federations risk being prohibited from holding international events.
Kenya’s parliament had passed, and its president signed, a law last month that will criminalise doping. Many thought that would satisfy WADA’s threat to sanction the African nation famous for its middle and long-distance runners. But Reedie said the legislation was not code compliant.
“We have been working with Kenya for a number of years and thought we had agreed that the draft legislation and rules were entirely compliant and it would appear that during their parlimentary process changes were made that unfortunately weren’t code compliant so we will be in touch with Kenya to try and resolve that at the earliest possible moment.”
WADA had give Kenya until May to enact the law or be declared non-compliant.
Up to 40 Kenyan athletes have failed doping tests since 2012, the biggest name among them being former three-time Boston City Marathon and Chicago Marathon champion, Rita Jeptoo, now serving a ban.

Pregnant women should avoid Rio Olympics due to Zika risk: WHO
The World Health Organization has urged pregnant women not to travel to Rio for the Olympics and urged athletes and visitors to the Games to take precautions to avoid Zika infection.
Acknowledging the widespread anxiety surrounding the threat of mosquito-borne Zika, which is rampant in Brazil and which experts agree causes the birth defect microcephaly in babies born to women infected with the virus, WHO issued its first guidelines specifically linked to the Rio Olympics.
The UN health agency, along with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), reiterated its recommendation to pregnant women “not to travel to areas with ongoing Zika virus transmission.”
“This includes Rio de Janeiro,” the organisations said in a joint statement. Brazil has been the epicentre of the Zika outbreak now affecting 58 countries and territories, with around 1.5 million people infected in the country since 2015.
The virus, which also causes the rare but serious neurological disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome, is mainly spread by two species of Aedes mosquito but has also been shown to transmit through sexual contact.
The Olympics and Paralympics, set for August 5 through September 18, “will take place during Brazil’s wintertime when there are fewer active mosquitoes and the risk of being bitten is lower,” WHO stressed.
It nonetheless urged all those planning to make the trip to Rio for the games to wear body-covering clothing and insect repellant to avoid mosquito bites and to choose accommodation with air-conditioning, rather than relying on leaving windows open for ventilation.
It also said they should avoid visiting impoverished and overcrowded areas with poor sanitation, where the risk of mosquito bites is higher.
Due to the risk of sexual transmission, anyone visiting Rio should use a condom when have sex for at least four weeks after their return, especially if they had experienced symptoms of Zika, or refrain from sex altogether, WHO said.
For the partners of pregnant women, the agency said they should practice safe sex for the remainder of the pregnancy, or abstain completely until the baby is born.