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Kenya athletes threat to skip World Cross Country Championships

Xinhua, February 2, 2015 Adjust font size:

Administration wrangles in Kenya might see the country missing out in the World Cross Country Championships in Guiyang, China next month.

A group of elite runners have put Athletics Kenya (AK), the country's athletics governing body, on notice they will not be taking part in the trials to select a team to Guiyang, if their grievances are not addressed.

The athletes want AK President Isaiah Kiplagat to step down because he failed to address the escalating doping cases in the country.

"AK didn't do enough to curb doping. They ban athletes who were caught doping abroad during in-competition tests. But what did they do to the people who helped these athletes doping, like doctors, pharmacist, coaches, or Athletes agents? They leave them to continue destroying others," Beijing Olympics 800m champion Wilfred Bungei said in Nairobi on Monday.

To select a team to the World Cross Country Championships, Kenya will hold its trials in Nairobi on Feb. 14 and it is the event the elite athletes want to skip.

Led by Bungei and Professional Athletes Association of Kenya (PAAK), the athletes have put Kiplagat on notice to pull on the running spikes and compete at the trials or resign from office for failing to curb doping.

The athletes said they will also lobby other regional teams not to take part in the trials and cautioned AK to consider selecting their own team.

Bungei said he has been asked to talk on behalf of retired and active athletes, which includes Paul Tergat, Billy Konchellah, Daniel Komen, Hellen Obiri, Caleb Mwangangi, John Ngugi, Ruth Waithera, Joshua Chelanga and Shem Kororia.

"We have been frustrated enough by the AK national office. Issues of AK deducting our allowances and prize money, poor team selection procedures and doping have become so rife that any athlete will not be happy to run for this country," said Bungei. Endi