By Shershah Atif
BU News Service
As a result of a coalition of six of the world’s biggest marathons contributing more funds to the International Association of Athletics Federations, development of labs and out-of-competition drug testing in countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia have increased. Last September in an out-of-completion test Rita Jeptoo, of Kenya, the winner of three Boston Marathons, tested positive for Erythropoietin (EPO), a blood booster.
The coalition, called the World Marathon Majors, is leading the charge in creating an athletes biological passport program, which will monitor athletes’ biological variables over time to show if they have been doping.
EPO was banned by the International Olympic Commission in 1985. It increases the number of red blood cells in the bloodstream and consequently improves the body’s cardiovascular system.
Jeptoo has been banned from competition for two years. She skirted a longer ban because the World Anti-Doping Agency enacted a new code that doubles the penalty to four years on Jan. 1, well after her test last fall. She won the Boston marathon in 2006, 2013 and 2014 as well as the Chicago Marathon in 2013 and 2014. She also set the women’s record at the Boston marathon last year, coming in at 2:18:57.
In a plan to address the ongoing problem of performance-enhancing drugs in professional running, Athletics Kenya, the national ruling body of running, has banned European agencies from working with runners for six months in order investigate allegations of doping.
The investigation was launched in collaboration with Kenya’s Anti-Doping Agency and Criminal Investigations Department last September.
The agencies that are currently suspended from working with Kenyan runners are Rosa Associati, the Italian agency that used to represent Jeptoo, and the Dutch Volare Sports.
Together, the agencies represent some of the world’s best runners such as Dennis Kimetto, Wilson Kipsang, Geoffrey Mutai, Jemima Sumgong and Priscah Jeptoo. Volare also represents Caroline Kilel, the 2011 Boston champion, who is running at the marathon this year as well.