Jemima Sumgong, RAK Half, January 2017, photo by PhotoRun.net
RunBlogRun opines: The following is the statement from Abbott World Marathon Majors’ Tim Hadzima. Truth is this: World Marathon Majors, at the behest of its members, are sponsoring the IAAF programs to increase out of competition testing in marathoners. Remember that London started blood testing in 2000. It is seventeen years later, and the top women’s athlete has been caught. If her B sample comes back positive, then, testing is working. And it will have dealt a major blow to those who rationalize cheating because so few are caught. Abbott World Marathon Majors should be applauded for helping to save the sport.
STATEMENT FROM TIM HADZIMA, GENERAL MANAGER
ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS
While we are distressed to learn of the reports of Jemima Sumgong’s positive drug test, if true, they indicate that we are gaining ground in our long-standing fight against doping.
The Abbott World Marathon Majors is committed to eradicating doping and we will continue to lead the way in introducing and campaigning for aggressive measures.
To that end, we recently, in conjunction with the IAAF, built and funded one of the largest targeted testing pool of athletes, with an aim of requiring more than 150 individuals to submit to out-of-competition testing a minimum of six times a year.
As we understand it from reports, one of those out-of-competition tests resulted in Jemima Sumgong’s provisional positive results. This demonstrates that, while there is more work to do, our efforts have served an important purpose.
Sumgong currently leads the standings for AbbottWMM Series X, which concludes at the April 17Boston Marathon. Under AbbottWMM rules, any athlete who has been found guilty of any anti-doping rules enforced by the IAAF, WADA, National Federations or any of the individual AbbottWMM races is not eligible to win a AbbottWMM Series title.
Given our policies, until the conclusion of Jemima Sumgong’s case and any potential appeal process, we will not name a Series X women’s champion.
In Boston, we will celebrate the hundreds of thousands of hard-working athletes who have crossed the finish lines of our six races in the past year. As we honor their accomplishments, we also will award titles to the Series X winners of our inaugural wheelchair championship as well as name our men’s Series X Champion.
