Kenya’s parliament has approved changes to anti-doping legislation in the hope of avoiding a ban on its athletes attending the Olympic Games in Rio.
New anti-doping measures were signed into law last month but the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) later said they fell short of international standards.
MPs were recalled for special sitting on Thursday to push changes through.If Kenya were to be excluded from the Games, some of the world’s top athletes would miss out on medal chances.The country topped the medal table at the 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing with seven gold medals.
“Sport is very critical to this country and the athletes have added a lot of value in this country in terms of marketing,” opposition MP Chris Wamalwa told parliament.
The new legislation must be approved by the Senate before being signed into law by President Uhuru Kenyatta.