Coe: 2029 Worlds may aid Kenya doping fight

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe says Nairobi’s hosting of the 2029 World Athletics Championships—the first senior championships in Africa—can sharpen efforts to address doping in Kenya. More than 140 Kenyan athletes have been sanctioned since the Athletics Integrity Unit was established in 2017, despite the country’s prominence in global distance running. Coe credited increased government support and the AIU’s more extensive, intelligence-led testing with improving enforcement, while stressing that progress is uneven and significant work remains. He said doping cannot be eliminated entirely, but athletics is better equipped to detect violations than it was a decade ago.