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Kenyan athlete Sarah Chepchirchir has been handed an eight-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after being found guilty of violating anti-doping regulations for the second time.
The 39-year-old, a former winner of the Tokyo Marathon, tested positive for testosterone during a marathon held in Thailand in November, according to the AIU.
As a result of the adverse analytical finding, Chepchirchir’s competitive results from November 5th onwards have been nullified, with her ban retroactively starting on December 22nd.
This isn’t Chepchirchir’s first doping offence. She was previously banned for four years in 2019 due to abnormalities detected in her athlete blood passport, with the ban backdated to April 11th, 2018.
Despite having the opportunity to reduce her latest ban by admitting to the charge, Sarah Chepchirchir failed to do so before the AIU’s deadline on February 11th.
In related news, the AIU recently imposed three-year bans on Kenyan athletes Hosea Kimeli Kisorio and Ayub Kiptum for the use of recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) and testosterone, respectively.
Meanwhile, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has referred Nigeria’s anti-doping agency to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) due to alleged non-compliance.
WADA sanctioned the Nigerian agency in November for failing to address critical requirements, although the Nigerian body disputes WADA’s claims.
Under WADA’s recommendations, Nigeria would face consequences such as not being able to fly its flag at competitions and being ineligible to host major sporting events until compliance conditions are met.
