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Aisan Kogyo Team Stripped of New Year Ekiden Results Following Kenyan Rodgers Kwemoi's Doping Suspension


Regarding the suspension of a former corporate league athlete for doping violations

The action against former Aisan Kogyo corporate team athlete Rodgers Kwemoi of Kenya for violation of rules against anti-doping was recently finalized. The penalties imposed against Kwemoi that were announced on May 17 by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), an independent unit of World Athletics (WA), were as follows:
  • Suspension from competition for a six-year period beginning 8 August, 2023
  • annulment of all competition results from 18 July, 2016 to 8 August, 2023

In compliance with this ruling, all of Kwemoi's results in National Corporate Federation competitions during the specified period will be annulled. In addition, the Aisan Kogyo team results from ekidens in which Kwemoi competed for them will also be annulled. All official results will be updated to move individuals and teams that finished behind Kwemoi and Aisan Kogyo in these competitions up one place. The specific results to be annulled:

National Corporate Track and Field Championships
・64th edition, 2016 - 10000 m, 9th
・65th edition, 2017 - 10000 m, 2nd
・66th edition, 2018 - 5000 m, 4th, 10000 m, 4th
*For the 65th and 66th editions, Aisan Kogyo's overall team score and placing will be adjusted to reflect Kwemoi's disqualification.

National Corporate Men's Ekiden Championships (New Year Ekiden)
・62nd edition, 2018 - 2nd Leg, 8th / Team overall, 10th
・63rd edition, 2019 - 2nd Leg, 1st / Team overall, 30th
・64th edition, 2020 - 2nd Leg, 9th / Team overall, 6th
・66th edition, 2022 - 2nd Leg, 20th / Team overall, 22nd
*Official results on the Corporate Federation website will be updated to reflect these disqualifications as soon as feasible.

The National Corporate Federation continues to strive to raise awareness of anti-doping standards and regulations through educational sessions targeted toward member athletes, coaches, team management and others. Any enquiries may be directed to the National Corporate Federation Office at 03-6268-0218 from 11:00 to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. A PDF of this decision is available here.

National Corporate Federation, 4 June, 2024

Translator’s note: The 2021 New Year Ekiden was the Aisan Kogyo's 20th time making the New Year Ekiden and 20th-straight appearance there. The disqualification of its 2018, 2019 and 2020 results eliminates that achievement, which it had celebrated on its team site at the time. Its 6th-place finish in 2020, now canceled, was a team record and its first and only time ever making the eight-deep podium.

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