Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF) has denied allegations of doping after reports pinned the country as one those with athletes who recorded suspicious tests between 2001 and 2012.
According to the Sunday Times (England) on November 15, Uganda is said to have been among the countries listed for “extraordinary extent of cheating” by athletes at the world’s biggest events.
However, Federation President Dominic Otuchet, told URN that no Ugandan athlete has failed a drugs test and denied any cover-up.
“Normally if there is a failed drugs test, then it is brought to the attention of the athlete and the Federation. But all this has never happened for us.
“I have been in athletes leadership since 1999 and there has been nothing like failed drugs tests for any Ugandan athlete,” he said.
The Sunday Times and German broadcaster ARD/WDR gained access to the results of 12,000 blood tests from 5,000 athletes between 2001 and 2012 and Kenya plus Russia have seriously been implicated.
Wada president Sir Craig Reedie told BBC, his organisation was “very disturbed by these new allegations… which will, once again, shake the foundation of clean athletes worldwide”.
The files were obtained from world governing body the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and were leaked by a whistle-blower.
Last week, Russia’s athletics federation was provisionally suspended from international competition – including the Olympic Games – for its alleged involvement in widespread doping, after a publication of World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) revealed “state-sponsored doping”.
And just like several other anti-doping experts, Ugandan athlete Moses Kipsiro branded Athletics drug cheats, “Robots” saying they deserved severe punishments in a bid to encourage free and fair competition among athletes.
The use of performance enhancing substances has cost Kenya several athletes who have been banned since. Koki Manunga and Joyce Zakary make the list after both became IAAF World Athletics Championships’ first athletes to fail drugs tests.
In late January this year, Kenyan Female Athlete Rita Jeptoo was also banned for two years after failing a drugs test when traces of a banned substance used by Lance Amstrong were found in her ‘A’ sample.
