Kevin Kipkorir a 400×4 meters relay Kenyan athlete was devastated to learn that he had been abruptly removed from the Paris 2024 Olympics team list.
The 29-year-old had made the difficult decision to quit his day job at a local supermarket to fully focus on his Olympic dreams, training hard with other athletes, only to have those dreams shattered last minute.
Furthermore, Kevin had earned his spot on the Kenyan team after winning at the national Olympic trials, which automatically qualified him for a ticket to represent Kenya in the Paris Olympics 2024.
However, just as Kevin and his teammates were preparing to depart for the pre-Olympic training camp in Miramas, France, he received the devastating news that he had been removed from the list.
According to Athletics Kenya, Kevin did not meet the required number of doping tests, a delay they attributed to the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK).
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Athlete Kevin Kipkorir Narrates How he was Shortchanged
After winning the trials, he was selected as part of the team that represented Kenya in the Bahamas. When he returned, he quit his job at a local supermarket, banking on his athletics career to succeed.
Additionally, Kipkorir noted that he has already presented all the documents proving that he underwent all the doping tests.
“I was called to join the Olympics team. But on the last day when people were supposed to leave for Miramas, I heard some of the teammates saying that I had been removed from the list.
“I had to rush before people board the plane to inquire and I was told that I had not taken all the required tests. But I have all the papers showing that I had taken the tests,” he said.
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Athletics Kenya Responds
On the other hand, Barnaba Korir, the Youth Development Director at Athletics Kenya, said that Kevin presented his documents late.
He indicated that the doping test documents came less that 21 days which automatically disqualified him.
Also, he explained that a special appeal by the federation is the only way he could get a chance to go to the Olympics.
“There is a test that came in less than 21 days as prescribed by world athletics. If that is the case, then as per the stipulated rules, he is not qualified to run, unless the federation appeals as an extra ordinary thing so that he is allowed to go,” he said.
At the same time, ADAK Chief executive Officer Sarah Shibutse stated that Athletics Kenya did not do due diligence on Kevin’s case.
“He has three tests, two are out of competition, one is in competition. The deadline for us to test Athletics Athletes to go for Olympics was July 4. If AK alerted us about this athlete on the 4th of July alerting us that the athlete had been included in the team.
“We checked and gave them a response on July 5, and he did not have the requirements. Kevin was not among the names of the athletes that they gave us,” she stated.
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