Korir emphasises importance of athlete registration in war against doping

NAIROBI, Kenya, October 3 – The ongoing registration of athletes, coaches and support staffon Integrated Athlete Management System has been billed as the silver bullet to kill the doping that has landed Kenya in Category A of countries where the vice is prevalent.

Athletics Kenya (AK) executive committee member Barnaba Korir said they are working closely with Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) to develop an impenetrable system to relegate doping to the backburners of Kenyan history.

“You know as the president (Lt Gen (Rtd) Jack Tuwei) had said, we are in Category A, and that is not a good thing. AIU have been helping us develop structures to ensure that we completely eradicate matters of doping. They have given us officials who have been going around the country to help us and they will be with us for the next five years after which hopefully, we will have solid systems to fight this vice,” Korir said.

The registration drive began July 20 and has thus far covered Eldoret, Kapsabet, Kaptagat, Kitale, Keringet, Kericho, Bomet, Kisii, Kisumu, Mumias, Nyahururu, Nyeri, and Machakos.

Nairobi and Ngong’ are the final destinations of the drive, with Korir revealing they have thus far registered 7,000 athletes.

“They have done extremely well to go around the country and register as many athletes as possible. I am happy to report that we have so far registered 7,000 athletes from around the country and we are continuing to do the same. We want to have a broad-based database of Kenyan athletes to enable us provide services efficiently,” he said.

The database is expected to enhance seamless provision of services, including supporting letters for visa application, anti-doping tests, and registration for races, among others.

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