On June 12 the Kyudenko corporate team announced that it is terminating its contract with longtime team member Benard Koech of Kenya as of June 30. On June 11 the Athletics Integrity Unit had issued a provisional suspension against Koech on charges of violation of doping regulations. The charges were based on abnormal values in his biological passport data, which suggested use of a banned substance or method rather than actual detection of one.
After receiving notification from the AIU, Kyudenko questioned Koech, who responded that he had "not done anything that would break doping rules." Kyudenko said that while it believed Koech's statement, the provisional suspension would interfere with a period in which he was expected to compete, and as a result, "with deep regret we have decided to terminate his contract with us on June 30, 2025."
Japanese Olympic silver race walker Koki Ikeda was in the same way provisionally suspended by the AIU last November due to biological passport abnormalities, but remains on the Asahi Kasei team roster as they appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. 400 m hurdler Masaki Toyoda received a two-year suspension in April last year after actually testing positive for trenbolone, but likewise remains on the Fujitsu roster and has received their full support.
Kyudenko's full statement on Koech's termination went on to say, "We strongly oppose doping in the sports world and fully support the ideals and activities of the AIU and other international and domestic organizations working to eradicate doping. We apologize to all our supporters, and moving forward will redouble our efforts to thoroughly educate all our athletes and staff regarding anti-doping knowledge and rules."
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translated and edited by Brett Larner
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