Doha (AFP)
The body responsible for the fight against doping in athletics has seized suspicions of doping of Kenyan athletes before the World Cup in Doha, said Monday the boss of the world athletics Sebastian Coe.
"I know that IAU (the Athletics Integrity Unit, an independent body) has taken on some of the accusations in the German media," said Coe, "I'm sure they'll report back to IAAF as soon as they have established the facts ".
German TV channel ZDF, which is on the cutting edge of doping revelations, says at least two Kenyan athletes competing at Worlds (September 27 - October 6) have been treated at EPO before the competition, in an online documentary about site.
According to ZDF, who does not name names, it is a man and a woman, filmed in camera hidden three weeks before the opening of the Doha Worlds (September 27 - October 6) receiving a intravenous injection of EPO.
A doctor, questioned on condition of anonymity, testifies to the modus operandi and talks about eight athletes: "Nobody gets shot directly before competitions, here they use EPO in training (...) current national team, I treated 8 runners ".
Asked by the German television, officials of the Kenya Athletics Federation (Athletics Kenya) ensure that the athletes were duly informed of the rules and warned that they would be excluded for life from the national team in case of doping.
According to ZDF, however, there are cases of corruption involving the Federation and the National Anti-Doping Agency ADAK. "They camouflage the results of some athletes, so that the riders can not be suspended," says a former employee of ADAK. "Athletics Kenya and ADAC are working hand in hand and making money with it, athletes or their managers have to pay for it."
ZDF claims to have in its possession written documents that prove the collusion between athletic officials and the anti-doping agency to exonerate positive athletes.
IAU chief Brett Clothier, questioned by ZDF, reacts by saying: "These are very serious charges and we are not so naive to say that there are no such problems or corruption in the country. Kenya".
© 2019 AFP