NAIROBI, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Team Kenya to the Tokyo Olympics will undergo mandatory anti-doping tests prior to their departure for the games in July.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed said on Tuesday that the country is keen to enter a clean team to the Olympics, which starts from July 24 to August 9.
Jemimah Sumgong, who had won the women's marathon gold at the Rio Olympics, was banned for eight years after her sample tested positive to blood-boosting Erythropoietin (EPO).
"Kenya has been known to compete clean, we must protect that reputation. We cannot risk the future of our young athletes. The Ministry of Sport is working on criminalizing doping, and the whole athlete entourage will be taken to task," Mohamed told reporters in Nairobi.
However, Mohamed remained optimistic that Kenya will improve on their medal total from Rio de Janeiro four years ago, where the country scooped 13 medals (6 gold, 6 silver, and 1 bronze), marking its most successful outcome in the Olympic history based on the medal position.
Kenya hopes to have over 100 athletes competing in Tokyo, eclipsing the 89 marks that were in Rio in 2016.
