Olympic 800 champ: Lack of money adds to doping problems
by Associated Press
MELBOURNEMar 03, 2016 - 12:00 am GMT+3
by Associated Press
Mar 03, 2016 12:00 am
Olympic and world 800-meter champion David Rudisha said Wednesday a lack of money and testing infrastructure has made it difficult to fight doping in developing nations such as his home country Kenya. More than 40 Kenyan athletes have tested positive to banned substances in the past three years, prompting the World Anti-Doping Agency to set an April 5 deadline for Kenya to pass legislation. At stake is the country's appearance at the Rio Olympics in August if the country is deemed to be non-complaint. Rudisha, also the 800 world record holder, will compete in an IAAF World Challenge meet Saturday in Melbourne.
"It has been tough for our sport with the turbulence that we are going through," he said. "This problem with doping is a big issue and I think it can also bring us together the government and the federation need to work together with the athletes." Rudisha said a lack of infrastructure and funding for anti-doping in developing nations exacerbated the problem.
"There are thousands and thousands of Kenyans training out there and only a few of them are on the WADA list," he said. "You can imagine how difficult it is. So far of about 40 Kenyan athletes who have been caught doping, only a few of them are elite athletes two or three of them. So if you put it into a percentage for the elite ones it's very few."
"But these up-and-coming and young athletes are a big problem because they are not known, nobody knows them and when they get out there and compete for a fast time they are being caught."
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