Wilson Kipsang threatens to sue Athletics Kenya
Athletics Kenya said it was notified by the International Association of Athletics Federations of the unsuccessful attempt to test the 2014 New York Marathon champion on 11 November.
No sanction will be imposed against Kipsang because it was his first missed test, Athletics Kenya said.
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Hide AdKipsang was made aware that he would be in violation of anti-doping rules if he misses three tests within an 18-month period, the Kenyan federation said.
Kipsang called the Athletics Kenya statement a “breach of privacy with malicious target to soil my name and efforts”.
Kipsang said he was aware of the IAAF notification. “I have submitted all necessary required details and the matter was settled accordance to the governing law,” he said in a statement.
The athlete said, on the day of the test, he was in South Africa to attend a global athletics conference where he was the Kenyan and African representative. He said Athletics Kenya was aware of his whereabouts.
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“Missing unwillingly a single test, in fact for the first time, cannot amount to issuing a press statement by a national federation,” Kipsang said. “I am not the only athlete who misses a test. I am not the first one in Kenya, neither in the whole world. Then, why Kipsang?”
He said he would seek legal action against the “unprofessional misconduct” of Athletics Kenya.
Kipsang’s missed test comes amid a recent spike in doping cases involving Kenyans. Eighteen Kenyan runners failed doping tests in 2012 and 2013, according to a doping report released earlier this year, a rate of nearly one per month. That compared with 18 Kenyan doping cases in the 19 years before 2012, the report said.
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Hide AdAccording to the report, banned substances have become easily available to runners in the East African country, where there are no effective doping controls.
Recently, marathon runner Rita Jeptoo tested positive for the blood-boosting drug EPO. David Okeyo and Jackson Tuwei, who are vice presidents of Athletics Kenya, said that Jeptoo’s ‘A’ sample taken in an out-of-competition test in Kenya on 25 September showed traces of the drug.
The 33-year-old Jeptoo, one of the highest profile Kenyan athletes to fail a doping test, won her second straight title in Chicago on 12 October. She was set to be named the winner of the World Marathon Majors series before it was revealed that she had failed a doping test.
The failed test was about two weeks before her victory in Chicago. Athletics Kenya said testing of Jeptoo’s ‘B’ sample is being conducted this week.
Meanwhile, The United States Olympic Committee has confirmed its intention to bid for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington DC are in the running to become the bid’s host city and a decision on which city will spearhead the campaign will be made early next year. “We are excited to announce our plans to put forth a bid for the 2024 Games and look forward to taking the next step of selecting from a group of four world-class cities to present a compelling and successful bid,” USOC chairman Larry Probst said.
“We’re grateful to the civic and political leaders in each of the four cities for the partnership that’s been demonstrated thus far, and confident that the deliberative process we’ve put in place is going to result in a strong US bid that can truly serve the athletes and the Olympic and Paralympic movements.”
The United States last staged the summer Olympics in 1996 when Atlanta was chosen as host city. The deadline for applications to the International Olympic Committee is 15 September, with a decision due in 2017.
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