WADA Urges Kenya to Take Tougher Anti-Doping Measures Ahead of 2029 Championships

The World Anti-Doping Agency has urged Kenya to pursue a zero-tolerance approach to doping as the country prepares to host the 2029 World Athletics Championship.

WADA chief Witold Bańka made the call after a three-day visit to Nairobi, where he advocated closer cooperation between anti-doping bodies and Kenyan authorities. He said stronger joint efforts were needed both to prevent doping and to help dismantle networks involved in supplying banned substances.

Pressure ahead of historic championships

The 2029 World Athletics Championship is expected to be the first time the flagship championships are staged in Africa. Kenya’s preparations for the event have placed renewed attention on the country’s anti-doping work.

Bańka said Kenya, which calls itself the “Home of Champions”, needed to maintain high standards if it was to preserve its standing in international athletics. In remarks attributed to him, he said the country must “remain respected and credible” and therefore “must also be clean.”

He also called for what he described as a more determined approach to preventing and fighting doping. According to Bańka, cooperation involving anti-doping agencies and Kenyan authorities could help establish the basis for cleaner sport.

Focus on steroid supply networks

Bańka said cooperation should extend to people and institutions able to act against those producing, smuggling and trafficking dangerous steroids. The call broadens the focus beyond testing athletes to efforts aimed at disrupting the supply of prohibited substances.

The Athletics Integrity Unit has suspended more than 140 Kenyan athletes, mainly long-distance runners, since 2017. The available information does not provide further details about the individual cases or the reasons for each suspension.

WADA’s appeal comes as Kenya works towards hosting an event that will carry significance for athletics on the continent. The agency is seeking stronger preventive and enforcement measures before the championships, while urging cooperation among the bodies responsible for protecting the integrity of sport.