The decision comes in the wake of Kenyan-born Winfred Yavi snatching gold in the 3000m steeplechase for Bahrain at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
Kenya has been handed a significant victory after World Athletics announced that Bahrain will not be able to recruit athletes from other countries until 2027.
The decision comes in the wake of Kenyan-born Winfred Yavi snatching gold in the 3000m steeplechase for Bahrain at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, raising serious concerns regarding the trend of Kenyan athletes switching allegiances to other countries.
Yavi switched her allegiance to Bahrain in 2016 after failing to secure a place on Team Kenya despite several trials. She has since become a formidable competitor for Kenyan athletes on the international stage, with victory in the Olympics over Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkoech.
Other Kenyans who have opted to run for Bahrain include Eunice Chumba, Abraham Rotich, Ruth Jebet, Eunice Jepkirui, and Miriam Jeptoo, among others.
Winfred Yavi showcasing her Olympic Gold medal to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on August 18, 2024. /WINFRED YAVI
In a statement on Thursday, August 22, the World Athletics Council approved a recommendation from the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) Board concerning the measures and corrective actions to be imposed on the Bahrain Athletics Association (BAA) following historical breaches of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules (ADR).
In December 2023, the AIU Board issued a notice of charge against the BAA, following a thorough 18-month AIU investigation into the BAA’s compliance with ADR 15, which imposes anti-doping obligations on Member Federations of World Athletics which are separate from the obligations of the World Anti-Doping Code.
“The impetus for the investigation was the serious anti-doping rule violations committed by two BRN athletes at the Tokyo Olympic Games for homologous blood transfusions and the discovery that the BAA had engaged a coach to work with the national team between 2019 and 2021 who was in fact banned from the sport for anti-doping rule violations,” the statement read in part.
The BAA was charged with conducting itself in relation to doping, negligently and/or recklessly and/or so as to prejudice the interests of World Athletics or bring the sport of athletics into disrepute (in breach of ADR 15.4.1).
Further, it was charged with failing to take reasonable measures when engaging athlete support personnel to ensure they are of good character and repute and that the risk of doping in relation to their engagement is minimised (in breach of ADR 15.4.6).
The BAA cooperated with the AIU throughout the process and admitted the charges. Additionally, it has agreed to the following consequences:
- The BAA’s participation in both the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 will be limited to a maximum of 10 athletes.
- The BAA will not participate in any other World Athletics Series events for 12 months from June 1, 2024.
- The BAA will not apply for any transfers of allegiance or recruit any foreign athletes until 2027.
- The BAA will spend up to $7.3 million over four years on the following measures to address the doping and integrity risk in athletics in Bahrain:
- implementing a detailed strategic plan and operational roadmap (SPOR) as agreed with the AIU to transform the federation and properly manage integrity matters.
- The BAA will guarantee that an independent and WADA-compliant Bahrain national anti-doping organisation will be established in Bahrain and be fully funded by the Bahrain government until at least the end of 2026 (a step which the BAA has taken, the NADO now fully operational for one year).
- The BAA will establish and fund a talent academy to prioritise the development of local talent.
- The BAA will pay the AIU’s costs of investigation and supervising the delivery of the SPOR.
The financial commitment to transform the federation, sports development and integrity in Bahrain has been welcomed and is strategically targeted at addressing the identified deficiencies in the Bahrain system, namely:
- Creating a NADO where there was none before – which is a welcome outcome with a huge benefit in managing the doping risks for BRN athletes going forward.
- Creating a talent academy which clearly signals a major change in emphasis from the BRN to identify and develop home-grown talent and not exclusively rely on recruiting foreign athletes.
- Transforming the BAA itself in accordance with the very strict requirements of the strategic plan and operational roadmap (SPOR) will ensure it has the appropriate governance and processes to manage integrity risk going forward. This will serve as an excellent model for other federations, particularly those in the region.
- The hiatus imposed from new transfers of allegiance and recruitment of foreign athletes is appropriate and will ensure that the system within BRN has been transformed by the time recruitment resumes again.
It is the ban that is significant for Kenya as it seeks to prevent the haemorrhage of athletics talent in Kenya to other countries, with the competitors claiming gold for the foreign nations at Kenya’s expense.
The trend was glaringly evident at the Rio Olympics, where over 30 Kenyan-born athletes represented other countries, with Bahrain and Turkey benefiting the most.
The Paris Olympics was no exception, with two former Kenyans; Winfred Yavi of Bahrain and Norah Jeruto of Kazakhstan, lining up alongside Kenyan runners Faith Cherotich and Beatrice Chepkoech in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase final.
Yavi clinched the gold, outpacing her former compatriots, while Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai took silver, and Kenya’s Cherotich settled for bronze.
A photo of Winfred Yavi with a Diamond League trophy. /WINFRED YAVI
On her part, Yavi recently expressed the next thing she wants to take away from her country of birth, the world record currently held by Chepkoech, who has held the world record since July 2018 when she set a new mark of 8:44.32 at the Monaco Diamond League, lowering the time of 8:52.78, set by another Kenyan-born-Bahraini Ruth Jebet in 2016.
The 24-year-old was born in Makueni but moved to Bahrain when she was 15, becoming eligible to represent the Middle East nation in 2016 and made her debut at the 2017 World Championships where she managed eighth place in the 3,000m steeplechase.