ELDORET (KENYA) - After narrowly avoiding suspension from the Rio Games, Kenyan athletes went into action at their Olympic trials on Thursday confident that they would prove to the world that they were running clean.
Kenyan women athletes compete in the 10,000 meters final on June 30, 2016 in Eldoret, during trials for the Rio Olympics
Athletics Kenya president Jackson Tuwei said that only dope-free athletes will go to Brazil and vowed to work closely with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the IAAF, athletics' governing body, to ensure stringent drug testing.
Kenya has come under scrutiny from the IAAF and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) over its flagging doping system, necessitating changes to legislation to avoid expulsion of its world-beating distance runners from August's Olympics.
"There has always been a bit of uncertainty, a bit of doubts, a bit of worry because of the accusations -- undue accusations, let me put it that way -- because it's not every athlete in Kenya who has used performance-enhancing substances," Tuwei told AFP.
"Those who have used banned substances have been cautioned according to the rules of WADA and IAAF. They are not here. All those who are here are clean because they have been tested many times and found to be clean."
He added: "We want to show the world that Kenya can still do well with clean athletes."
Kenya's veteran athletics coach Colm O'Connell, who counts reigning Olympic 800m champion David Rudisha among his athletes, said Kenya had waited too long to act on doping.
"For a long time, Kenya was on the defence. They were not sure what was going to happen. That would have affected many of our athletes, of not being very sure of how it was going to end," he said.
"Naturally that would take its toll. That's why it's only kind of now when there's an air of certainty that Kenya is going (to Rio). Now the Kenyans can put all that aside and now focus on the next five weeks.
"All Kenyan athletes deep down were concerned. Am I really going? Am I going to miss out on the Olympics?
"But now, with the clearing of the air, as far as possible, now the athletes can really focus on Rio."
Kenyan sports journalist Elias Makori believes there have been changes in the lifestyles of many of the athletes, who are now more aware about the consequences of doping.
"Most of the athletes are naive. They don't know what substances they should take, what not to take, what to accept -- drinks or anything from strangers. They don't know," Makori said.
"Now they are becoming more conscious about themselves. They are aware of what kind of medication they can take, and what they cannot take," he added, describing it as "a wake-up for Kenya."
"In terms of legislation, the authorities have done very well," he said, after Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta last week signed an amended anti-doping bill into law.
"But a lot more needs to be done, especially in terms of training and educating the athletes. The thing that in my opinion, needs to be done, is education, education and more education."