Cheerleaders spice up the National Cross Country Championships at the Uhuru Gardens on Saturday February 18. They are part of the activation campaign by the Anti Doping Agency-Kenya to sensitise sportsmen and women on the effects of doping.PHOTO/Raymond Makhaya
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 18 – A senior official of the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) says they will sponsors advertisements on electronic and print media to reach sportsmen across the country.
The agency will also use the social media which according to its director of Anti Doping Education and Research Agnes Wanjiku Mandu is one of the strongest tools to reach the youth.
“Beyond workshops and seminars, we will have road shows across the country. We will also sponsor adverts in the print and electronic media to ensure that we sensitise the youth, athletes and the general public,” Mandu said when they launched their public activation during the National Cross Country Championships at the Uhuru Gardens on Saturday.
“The social media is a very strong tool to reach out to the younger generation who are more vulnerable especially when it comes to use of drugs and its abuse. We will also produce adverts both video and photographic to place them in the media.”
“Previously we have been reaching out to groups and individual athletes, but now we want to go full out and also have road shows,” added Mandu
“We cannot reach all sportsmen at a personal level, but through the power of the media we will be able to get to them.”
“Some of the key areas we want to ensure we communicate to them include the anti doping rules and violations. They need to know that it is not just about testing positive that puts one in problems but also refusing to do the tests or tampering with the results,” she said.
Mandu added that they are also sensitising sportsmen not to get culture shock when they are called in for tests.
ADAK is already working with the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association to educate students about the dangers of use of banned sustances in sports and also drug abuse.
