JADA (Japan Anti-Doping Agency) announced that a banned substance was detected in a Kenyan athlete from Soka University who participated in the Izumo All-Japan University Selection Ekiden held in October last year. As a result, Soka University's record of finishing second in the Izumo All-Japan University Invitational Ekiden was invalidated, and other teams were moved up in ranking.
According to JADA and Soka University, the banned substance was detected in Kenyan student Leeky Kamina's test sample taken at the tournament last September. .
For this reason, JADA suspended Kamina for three years.
The university confirmed that when Kamina returned to Kenya for training between July and September last year, he asked a friend to purchase medicine to improve his fatigue, without checking the name or ingredients of the medicine. He was taking over-the-counter medications.
After that, Kamina ran the 3rd section of the Izumo All-Japan University Selection Ekiden held in October last year, one of the three major university relay races, and came in 2nd place in the section, and his team also came in 2nd place in the overall standings.
According to the Japan Intercollegiate Athletics Union, Kamina's record, Soka University's, and her teammates' records will all be invalidated, and another team will move up in the overall rankings.
Regarding this, Soka University said, ``We deeply regret that we caused a situation that violated anti-doping rules, and that this should never have happened.We sincerely apologize to those involved and everyone who supported us.'' commented.