(ATR) The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ethics board denied Isaac Mwangi’s challenge of his provisional suspension on Friday.
The chief executive officer of Kenya’s athletics federation received his suspension in February for allegedly soliciting bribes from runners Joy Sakari and Francisca Manunga. The two runners are each serving four-year bans for testing positive for banned substances at the world championships in 2015.
The athletes told the Associated Press in February that Mwangi asked them each to pay $24,000 in order to reduce their suspensions during a meeting that took place at AK headquarters on Oct. 16, 2015. The athletes did not come forward immediately for fear of repercussions.
Mwangi appealed to the IAAF ethics board in March claiming his accusers should not be trusted because they are "cheats" and "liars". Mwangi did not deny that he and the two athletes were present at the AK headquarters on Oct. 16 and gave the alibi that his schedule was too busy for them to have met.
The ethics board says Mwangi did not identify anything that would question the validity of the six-month suspension and failed to provide a convincing alibi. The board says the probe into Mwangi should continue.
"There is still a prima facie case, and one fit for further investigation against Mr. Mwangi," it said.
AK is also feeling the pressure from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that is threatening to declare the country non-compliant with its doping code. WADA says Kenya has until May 2 to formally adopt a bill criminalizing doping in sports or it will declare the country non-compliant, making the country at-risk to not compete at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this August.
Ethiopia Must Complete Mass Doping Tests
Ethiopia has some work to do if it wants to stay in the good graces of WADA and the IAAF.
Track and field officials held a news conference in Adidas Ababa on April 7, revealing that the country must test up to 200 athletes by November or face serious sanctions from WADA and a possible ban by the IAAF.
Ethiopia’s national track team doctor Ayalew Tilahun told The Associated Press that the country could be banned from all sports if its doping program is not significantly improved.
While Ethiopia has until November to complete the doping tests, the country will have to show some progress by June 3, the date WADA officials will come calling for an assessment.
That’s according to Ayalew, who added that IAAF President Sebastian Coe is also expected to visit around that time.
The November deadline also means Ethiopian athletes are safe to compete at the Rio Olympics in August.
Written by Kevin Nutley and Gerard Farek
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