Kenya Announces Stringent Drug Tests For Tokyo World Championships

Kenyan athletes are to be drug-tested three times to qualify for selection to this summers world championships in Tokyo as the country struggles to shake off its doping scandals, authorities said Wednesday.

Athletics Kenya AK chief Jackson Tuwei said a pool of 444 contenders for the championships have been identified for the testing programme, which will be coordinated by the federation in conjunction with the Kenyan and World Athletics anti-doping agencies.

Tuwei said the country was maintaining the stringent doping measures introduced before the Paris Olympics in a bid to keep the athletes clean for the event that runs from September 13 to 21.

Athletes may be subject to both in-competition and out-of-competition testing, Tuwei told reporters.

Missing a test or failing to comply with testing authorities and sample collection procedures will affect their eligibility, he added.