Olympics: Kenyan coach expelled for posing as athlete

A Kenyan athletics coach has been sent home from Rio after allegedly posing as an athlete and giving a urine sample.

Kenya said sprint coach John Anzrah “presented himself as an athlete” and “even signed the documents” for the doping test.

“We cannot tolerate such behaviour,” said Kip Keino, chairman of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya.

Anzrah is the second Kenyan official to be sent home over doping issues after track and field manager Michael Rotich.

Rotich was dismissed following allegations that he was prepared to warn coaches about drugs tests in return for £10,000.

Keino said Kenya’s Olympic body had not facilitated Anzrah’s travel to Brazil, adding: “We don’t even know how he came here.”

It was not clear which athlete Anzrah was pretending to be.

However, a senior Athletics Kenya source said he had spoken to the athlete, who claims Anzrah used his accreditation purely to obtain free meals from the athletes’ village.

“When the anti-doping officials met him, they assumed he was the athlete and that he was lined up for testing,” added the source.

“The coach, for fear of being exposed or discovered, did not explain to the anti-doping guy that he is actually not the athlete. Hence he played along and went for the test.”