Athletics Kenya (AK) Kericho County branch officials have urged athletes to desist from age cheating as this reprehensible act undermines the integrity of their running careers and threatens to damage the image of the country on the international stage.
In an interview with KNA following a training session with upcoming athletes at Kericho Teachers Training College (KTTC) grounds, AK First Vice Chairman Kericho Gabriel Kiptanui said age cheating comes into play when athletes engage in falsification of their birth credentials so as to gain unfair advantage over their competitors grossly undermining the integrity of the competitions and discouraging honest athletes from participating.
“I am appealing to all athletes in Kenya to desist from age cheating. Repercussions of age cheating will bring forth credibility issues and catch the attention of the International Body of World Athletics which listed Kenya as leading in track events.
This reprehensible act will create compromise to the gains we have earned from renowned Kenyan athletes such as the late Wilson Kiprugut and retired Kipchoge Keino who represented the country in the Olympics bringing gold medals for this country through their hard work and honesty in their trainings,” said Kiptanui.
He said parents, coaches and athletes should all get sensitized on the need to uphold the value of age verification and value of ethics in the sport to create an environment where honesty and integrity are upheld.
Kiptanui who doubles up as an athletics coach with an spanning 24 years said age-cheating needs to be tackled firmly with those athletes found culpable to face legal consequences now that the country is still battling with doping menace.
“Age cheating ought to be nipped in the bud with those found culpable to face legal consequences. This ought to be discouraged at all costs. Drugs have detrimental health effects on an athlete who wants shortcuts in his running career but the effects are seen when an athlete retires from active running,” said Kiptanui.
He advised upcoming athletes to adhere to the rules of the sport in addition to their training schedules from their coaches for them to succeed in their running careers.
“Let them be patient as they train alongside their coaches and when they start competing, they will surely win and earn honest money as well as create honor to their names,” said Kiptanui.
Kiptanui has trained about 25 athletes among them long-distance runner and 2015 steeplechase world champion Stella Chelangat, 2019 World U20 800meter silver medalist Alex Kipngetich Ngeno, 2013 World U18 1500meter steeplechase gold medalist Robert Biwott, 2024 World Cross Country champions in mixed relay category Daniel Munguti and Miriam Chebet as well as four-time gold medalists Mercy Cherono and Beatrice Chebet who won in the 5000m and 10km races in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
AK announced a crackdown on age cheating last month to protect the sports integrity after news of 30 athletes having been flagged down by World Athletics for potential age cheating.
Nearly 100 athletes in Kenya have been penalized for testing positive for banned substances.
Currently Kenya is in Category A of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) compliance watch list since 2016 and so far about 100 athletes have been penalized for testing positive for banned substances.
By Sarah Njagi
