Audio By Vocalize
The World Anti-Doping Agency's completed violations report recorded 2,005 sanctions across 124 nationalities in 2023. [Courtesy]
Among the Akamba, we say, “Ngumbau ivalukaswa ni kisakwa” - even a champion can be brought down by stepping on a maize cob. After surviving battles, one careless step can undo everything.
That proverb returned to me last Tuesday, when Kitui Green Run announced its winners after the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) completed its process. We had cheered them as champions. Then three samples tested positive, and the affected athletes lost their awards and prize money.
I was taken back to 2007, when I served as CEO of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa. Even then, doping threatened careers, national honor, and the soul of sport. Why are we still leaving the corn cob in our path?
