World Athletics Boss Sebastian Coe Praises Kenya’s Anti-Doping Strides Ahead of Historic 2029 Championships

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has commended Kenya’s ongoing campaign against performance-enhancing drugs, expressing confidence in the nation's integrity reforms as Nairobi prepares to stage the 2029 World Athletics Championships.

Speaking during a visit to the Kenyan capital to promote the upcoming event, Coe acknowledged that while meaningful strides have been made through enhanced government backing and more rigorous oversight, sustained vigilance remains essential.

Kenya stands as a premier global powerhouse in distance running, but its reputation has been tested in recent years by a string of doping controversies. Since the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) was founded in 2017, more than 140 Kenyan athletes have faced sanctions for anti-doping violations.

Coe noted that substantial structural changes—led by the AIU, which was created following his election to the presidency—have fundamentally transformed the sport's approach to anti-doping by shifting toward intelligence-driven investigations and extensive testing.

"The testing from the Athletics Integrity Unit's point of view is more intense, it's more extensive, and it's much more intelligence-based led than it was under the old system," Coe stated, adding that higher detection rates reflect the effectiveness of the crackdown. "As they often say, if you want to catch fish, you have to go fishing."

While the two-time Olympic 1,500m champion conceded that eradicating doping entirely is virtually impossible, he stressed that athletics is on far firmer footing than it was a decade ago.

The 2029 competition will mark a historic milestone as Nairobi becomes the first African city to stage the senior World Athletics Championships.

The capital previously fell short in its bid for the 2025 edition, which was awarded to Tokyo, but successfully hosted the World Under-18 Championships in 2017 and the World Under-20 Championships in 2021.

Coe emphasized that the global spotlight accompanying the 2029 championships will provide further impetus for Kenya to maintain rigorous standards and safeguard the integrity of the sport.