Athletics sponsors face another doping scandal ahead of Olympics
Two Kenyan doctors have said that they supplied banned performance-enhancing drugs to British athletes, claims that add to the doping scandal sweeping the sport and could potentially see yet more sponsors reconsider contracts ahead of the Olympics.
Doping
An investigation by The Sunday Times into reports of doping in and around the British team’s high-altitude base in Kenya saw the medics secretly filmed by undercover journalists.
The medics claim they treated at least four Britons as well as Kenyan and other athletes with the banned drug erythropoietin (EPO).
The evidence was gathered in partnership with German broadcaster ARD/WRD.
Nicole Sapstead, chief executive of UK Anti-Doping, said an investigation has been launched after it found the report to be of “grave concern and of significant interest.”
“We have opened an investigation and are taking the necessary steps to corroborate the evidence and investigate it further,” she said.
Meanwhile, Lord Moynihan, the former sports minister and chairman of the British Olympic Association, said it raises the question of whether British Athletics should continue to athletes to Kenya.
It’s the latest evidence adding to the doping scandal sweeping the sport, and one which is affecting the lucrative ties sporting bodies have with brands.
Earlier this year, Adidas terminated its £23m sponsorship with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) four years early in an apparent effort to distance itself from sport.