Rio Olympics: Kenyan coach sent home
Kenyan team
officials said sprint coach John Anzrah “presented himself’’ as 800 metres
medal hope Ferguson Rotich and “even signed the documents’’ for the doping
test. “We cannot tolerate such behaviour,’’ said Kip Keino, chairman of the
National Olympic Committee of Kenya. Rotich, who finished fourth at last year’s
World Championships in Beijing, is set to race in the heats on Friday.
The athlete’s
agent, Marc Corstjens, said Rotich lent Anzrah his pass so the coach could get
a free breakfast in the Olympic Village on Wednesday. Anzrah, 61, was then
allegedly approached by a doping control officer who was looking for Rotich and
asked to provide a urine sample, which the coach did.
“Ferguson
is completely confused as to why he would do this but the good news is that he
found out straight away and went to the drug-tester and gave them blood and
urine samples,’’ said Corstjens.
The
International Olympic Committee (IOC) has opened disciplinary proceedings into
the matter, but praised Kenya’s Olympic body for its “swift action’’. Chairman
Keino said the committee had not facilitated Anzrah’s travel to Brazil, adding:
“We don’t even know how he came here.’’ Anzrah is the second Kenyan official to
be sent home over doping issues after track and field manager Michael Rotich.
He was dismissed following allegations that he was prepared to warn coaches
about drugs tests in return for £10,000 (about N4 million).