Kenya could be banned from 2016 Summer Olympics

After years of pushing for stricter testing in Kenya, it seems anti-doping authorities are losing their patience with the African nation.

The head of Kenya’s Olympic committee told Reuters on Friday that the World Anti-Doping Agency might seek to have his country banned from international competition for four years, a span that would include the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

Though Kenya has a long history of champion middle- and long-distance runners, recent years have seen dozens of its athletes testing positive.

The World Anti-Doping Agency has repeatedly asked officials there to crack down on doping.

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Kipchoge Keino, a renowned runner who now heads his nation’s Olympic committee, expressed concern about severe sanctions.

After returning from a meeting with the anti-doping officials, he told reporters in Nairobi: “It is no longer just a threat.”

Follow David Wharton on Twitter @LATimesWharton.

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