(ATR) Kenya has taken a major step in staying within the good graces of the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta on April 22 signed into law a long-delayed anti-doping bill, a key requirement for the country to become WADA-compliant and avoid potential sanctions.
Kenyatta, after signing the legislation, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying "Today, I am confident that WADA will look upon the passage of our anti-doping law favorably as a sign of our unwavering commitment to meeting the highest international standards."
The new law, which allows those found guilty of doping to be imprisoned and fined, takes effect ahead of the May 2 deadline that WADA imposed after Kenya missed two earlier deadlines to become compliant.
WADA placed Kenya on a watch list of countries needing doping reform after Kenya missed the first deadline on Feb. 11 to pass a law establishing a new national anti-doping agency. WADA extended the deadline to impose doping reforms to April 5 but the Kenyan legislature began a month-long recess a few days before that without having passed the bill.
On April 7, WADA issued a clarification that the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK)’s compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code needed to be in place by May 2 or "The Compliance Review Committee’s recommendation to the WADA Foundation Board will be to declare the ADAK non-compliant".
"The WADA Foundation Board will vote on the matter at its next meeting in Montreal on 12 May 2016."
The passage of the new law should get Kenya off the hook. The stakes are high. If WADA were to declare Kenya non-compliant, it would likely result in both the International Olympic Committee and International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) banning the national federation from the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Russian track athletes are already banned from Rio 2016 and are seeking a pathway towards reinstatement before the Games begin in August.
Written by Gerard Farek
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