Kenya "tabled a much-anticipated anti-doping bill in parliament" on Wednesday but it will not be passed in time for the country to meet a WADA deadline, according to REUTERS. The bill is a "key requirement for the east African nation, famed for its distance runners but tarnished by some 40 doping cases in recent years, to be declared compliant with the WADA code ahead of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics." Kenya was "given a deadline to enact the law or be declared non-compliant," which brings WADA sanctions, but the country's parliament goes into recess for 10 days on Thursday so the bill "cannot become law before time runs out on April 5." The IAAF said that it was "highly unlikely Kenya would be suspended from the Olympics but several sports leaders want President Uhuru Kenyatta to push the bill through." Among the bill's recommendations, which have been drawn up according to WADA statutes, are "heavy fines for athletes, agents and organizations who promote the use and/or trafficking of performance-enhancing substances" (REUTERS, 3/30).
