Staff Writer
The national anti-doping agency of Kenya reported on Monday that the country’s authorities had intercepted a consignment of medicines that may be used by athletes as performance-enhancing substances.
According to the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya, a woman was detained on suspicion of smuggling and will appear in court this week. She was taken into custody by police and anti-doping officers in a joint operation at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta Airport.
The anti-doping organization stated in a statement that the operation took place last Thursday. It claimed that 150 boxes of triamcinolone acetonide and other “doping” components, along with more than 500 boxes of other drugs, were included in the unlawful shipment.
Kenya has a long history of victories in middle- and long-distance competitions at the Olympics and world championships, making it one of the most successful nations in international athletics.
The international anti-doping agency for track and field has classified it as a high-risk country due to its major doping issue.
One of the most often utilized drugs by Kenyan athletes that fail doping tests is triamcinolone acetonide.
More than 60 athletes from Kenya are now suspended for doping-related offenses.
Betty Wilson Lempus and Diana Kipyokei, the winner of the Boston Marathon, were recently given lengthy suspensions after testing positive with triamcinolone acetonide.
In a doping inquiry, they were also found guilty of tampering with the evidence.
Lempus received a five-year ban and Kipyokei received a six-year ban.
