They have reported claims from Kenyan doctors that four unnamed British athletes received banned performance-enhancing drugs in the town, used as a winter base by British and other worldwide athletes.
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“In due course, WADA will be reviewing the evidence that UKAD compiles and taking the necessary action to ensure the protection of clean sport”.
“However, I can confirm that this evidence is being treated with the utmost importance and urgency, and two members of UKAD staff are now in Kenya pursuing a number of lines of enquiry”.
These allegations come weeks after Kenya passed legislation to create a new national anti-doping agency in April.
WADA has confirmed it will review all the evidence collated by UKAD and provide support where needed.
An investigation by The Sunday Times and German broadcaster ARD/WRD claims that the performance-enhancing drug erythropoietin (EPO) is widely available at an elite training centre in Iten, Kenya, popular with distance runners from around the world.
“Even if the athletes are subjected to doping tests they will find nothing”, the doctor told the undercover reporter.
Chairperson of the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya Jasper Rugut said in the report that three individuals had been arrested by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations DCI over the matter.
Over 40 Kenyan athletes have been banned for doping in the last three years.
In an exclusive report in March, the AP found the region was already bending drug-testing rules.
Kenya passed a new anti-doping law in April ahead of a deadline set by the World Anti-Doping Agency to comply with global standards or face a possible ban at the upcoming Olympic Games.
“We want to go to Rio with a clean team”.
WADA director general Olivier Niggli said: “WADA is grateful to The Sunday Times for bringing the evidence to UKAD’s attention. Nevertheless, we take any allegations of doping seriously and will as always cooperate fully with any investigation undertaken by Ukad or other anti-doping organisations”.
The documentary shows images of boxes of the endurance boosting drug EPO on the inside of the training centre and used syringes dumped in a bin. At the time, a number of European athletes British and Turkish were in attendance.
In order to run a successful and effective anti-doping programme we must utilise a wide range of tools, including gathering strong and robust intelligence and evidence, retrospective analysis of samples and the ability to test athletes, under our jurisdiction, anywhere in the world, at any time – we not only test sportspeople in the United Kingdom, but also when they are competing and training overseas. It was the banned substance at the center of the Lance Armstrong doping scandal in cycling.
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The latest allegations come ahead of the Rio Olympics, which Russian track and field athletes are set to miss because of its worldwide ban for state-sponsored doping. It says the associate claimed he had lied about helping athletes cheat – and had encouraged the doctors to lie as well “to make some money”. World 1,500-meter champion Asbel Kiprop of Kenya, who has not been implicated in any doping, said last week that in one case Kenyan authorities had taken no action after a marathon runner banned for doping identified the doctor who supplied him with steroids. This includes the preparation of derivative works of, or the incorporation of such content into other works.
