Kenya among world's 3 countries with highest number of doping cases: WADA

The World Anti-Doping Agency said that Kenya is one of three countries in the world with a high number of doping cases, according to a report it released on Friday.

The report came after WADA held a meeting with the Intelligence and Investigations department on Thursday to discuss the findings of Kenya Project, an investigation into the widespread doping in the East African nation, in cooperation with Kenya's Anti-Doping Agency and the Athletics Integrity Unit, reports Efe.

The report revealed that between 2004 and August 1 of this year, around 138 Kenyan athletes had tested positive for a banned substance.

Long-distance runners represented the highest percentage of doping cases (95 percent), although this category was the most controlled -- as it is the one in which most anti-doping tests have been carried out -- according to the international agency's report.

The banned substance spread among Kenyan athletes is known as Nandrolone, "a drug that promotes power and muscle strength."

However, and despite the findings, WADA believed that it was difficult to assess the severity of the situation due to "lack of laboratory tests."

Meanwhile, the head of the AIU, Brett Clothier, said that "AIU funded the establishment of a new blood laboratory in Nairobi."

Establishing laboratories in the region would stop the transportation of the samples to Europe or South Africa, as it has been the case until now.

--IANS

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