World anti-doping body seeks tough stance from Kenya ahead of championship

The World Anti-Doping Agency on Tuesday urged Kenya to strive for a zero tolerance of drugs in sports as it prepares to host the 2029 World Athletics Championship.

Following a three-day visit to Nairobi, WADA chief, Witold Bańka said Kenya proudly called itself the Home of Champions.

But he added that for it to “remain respected and credible, it must also be clean" and have a more “determined approach to preventing and fighting doping”.

Bańka said joint cooperation between anti-doping agencies and the Kenyan authorities would help lay the foundations for a cleaner sport.

He added that collaboration with the people who have the power to go against those who are producing, smuggling, and trafficking dangerous steroids to athletes was essential.

The 2029 event will mark the first time the flagship championships are staged in Africa, placing heightened global scrutiny on Kenya’s anti-doping infrastructure.

More than 140 Kenyan athletes, mainly long-distance runners, have been suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit since 2017.

Bańka stressed that establishing an uncompromised culture of clean sport and aggressively dismantling supplier networks of banned substances are vital to protecting athletic integrity