AIU bans Kenyan athlete Patrick Siele

Kenya’s long-distance athlete Patrick Siele has been slapped with a ban of three years and six months by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for an anti-doping violation.

According to a statement released by AIU on Thursday, the athlete was found guilty of evading an out of competition test that was to be conducted on him on December 18, 2019 in Kapsabet, Nandi County.

Although Siele was subject to a four-year ban, AIU revealed that the athlete admitted to the violation hence a reduction of the sanction by six months.

Further AIU notes that it was the first anti-doping violation to be committed by the athlete.

“The AIU accepts that the Athlete promptly admitted the violation after the AIU’s notification letter on 16 March 2020 and the AIU and the World Anti-Doping Agency (‘WADA’) have agreed to a 6 month reduction in the 4-year sanction, taking into account the seriousness of his violation and his relative degree of fault (being only 23 years old, the fact that this was his first experience of out-of-competition testing and his relative lack of anti-doping education which may have contributed to his error of judgment on the day,” read the statement.

The 23-year-old Siele ban will thus commence on March 16, 2020 when he admitted the offence.

Siele joins the growing list of Kenyan athletes who have been banned this year for anti-doping violation including former world marathon record holder Wilson Kipsang.

Tags:

Kenyan AIU athlete Patrick Siele

Want to send us a story? Submit on Wananchi Reporting on the Citizen Digital App or Send an email to wananchi@royalmedia.co.ke or Send an SMS to 25170 or WhatsApp on 0743570000

Leave a Comment

Comments

No comments yet.

latest stories