A Kenyan sprinting coach has been sent home from the Rio Olympics after posing as an athlete and giving a urine sample to drug testers.

The East African nation boasts some of the world’s best middle and long-distance runners, but more than 40 of its competitors have failed drug tests since 2012.

And its athletics federation has been flooded with corruption scandals linked to doping, tarnishing its reputation as a result.

The concerns over Kenya’s doping problem were so large that at one point the country’s participation at the Rio Olympics was under threat.

Kip Keino, a Kenyan running great and chairman of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK), said sprint coach John Anzrah was sent home after a drug test at an Olympic venue.

“He presented himself as an athlete, gave the urine sample and even signed the documents. We cannot tolerate such behaviour,” Mr Keino said.

Kip Keino insists Kenya won’t tolerate the behaviour of Anzrah. Photo: Getty

“We don’t even know how he came here because we [NOCK] did not facilitate his travel here.”

Coach went along with drug test

It is not confirmed which athlete Anzrah was pretending to be, but 800m runner Ferguson Rotich reportedly lent his pass to the coach.

One senior source at Kenya’s running federation, Athletics Kenya (AK), said he had spoken to the concerned athlete.

“When the anti-doping officials met him, they assumed he was the athlete and that he was lined up for testing,” said the AK spokesperson.

“The coach, for fear of being exposed or discovered, did not explain to the anti-doping guy that he is actually not the athlete.”
Athletics Kenya

“Hence he played along and went for the test.”

The latest doping allegations come on the eve of the first track and field competition at the Rio Games and at an awkward time for organisers and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

WADA this month removed Kenya from its list of nations deemed “non-compliant” with its doping code.

Ferguson Rotich allegedly lent his accreditation to coach John Anzrah. Photo: Getty

WADA changed its stance on Kenya after the country’s parliament introduced new legislation to punish drug cheats.

Mr Keino, who has won two gold medals for Kenya, had been the first senior Kenyan official to sound alarm bells about the scale of doping in Kenya.

In the past he has often complained about his concerns being ignored by government officials.

At the opening ceremony of Rio Games, Mr Keino was honoured by organisers, receiving the first-ever Olympics Laurel for his work in promoting sport and education for the poor in Kenya.