Kenya dismisses athletics doping reports as smear campaign

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's athletics body said on Sunday that media reports alleging doping among its runners were a smear campaign ahead of world championships in Beijing. Britain's Sunday Times newspaper and German broadcaster ARD/WDR said they were given access to the results of more than 12,000 blood tests showing more than 800 athletes had given blood samples that were "highly suggestive" of doping or "abnormal". Of the 800, 77 were Kenyan athletes according the reports. ARD/WDR on Saturday aired a documentary in which a hidden camera purportedly showed athletes being injected with performance enhancing drugs. ARD also alleged corruption among Kenyan officials who wanted to cover up doping by runners. Athletic Kenya (AK) said claims of widespread systematic doping among Kenyan runners was "suspect and ill-motivated". "We cannot fail to point out that the documentary is an attempt to smear our runners with unwarranted suspicion as they prepare to undertake duty for their country in Beijing, China," AK said in a statement. "The unwarranted claims on the Kenyan athletes are deliberately aimed at derailing the preparations and the participation of the Kenyan team in the World Championships."