The National Olympic Committee of Kenya NOCK has called for support from the government towards the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) in its fight against doping in sports in the country.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, NOCK 1st Deputy President Barnaba Korir hailed ADAK on the recent announcement from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on the removal of Kenya from its watch list.
“So, we are really happy to know that they have given relief after ADAK met all the conditions that were given to them. That was a very good start, but it is not a guarantee that when you are given that relief, you just go and, you know, relax. It shows that you have met all those conditions as of now.He, however, called for greater collaboration from the government and all stakeholders to enhance ADAK’s capacity, which will go a long way toward seeing Kenya removed from category A of countries under scrutiny due to the high number of doping cases.”Korir Said
Korir, however, warned against the ADAK resting on its laurels owing to the high number of Kenyan athletes competing in international events.
“The government in this case also have done a fantastic job ensuring that all the necessary support ADAK needs, they have already done that and of course making sure that they upgrade ADAK in a way that is also acceptable both locally and internationally. So I am optimistic that given the situation we are in now that ADAK and Kenya as a whole have understood the consequences of not meeting the conditions that we have been given.”continued Korir
Early this week, WADA declared Kenya off the non-compliance watch list after last year’s audit, which confirmed it has met and implemented the minimum requirements in the fight against doping.
“So we hope that by the end of this year we’ll have met all the conditions and make sure that we improve on the issue of testing education and any other aspect of this anti-doping programme so that by the end of the year we’ll be considered to be removed from the watch list.”Korir concluded
