For the second consecutive year Kenya, India and Russia lead the top three spots of the Athletics Integrity Unit’s list of ineligible people at the close of 2025.
The list, which was updated on January 1, covers a range of sanctions like doping and tampering as the three nations make up more than half of last year’s posted violations.
According to the AIU, the 2025 list has 683 ineligible athletes with some appearing in previous listings due to bans that stretch multiple years. There are 54 individuals serving life bans who will remain on the list, while 39 people have 8 year suspensions, with five who are at 10 years. The majority of those who are ineligible are serving bans between four and five years.
Of the top five nations listed for 2025, Kenya has 140 suspended athletes, with India (137), Russia (75), China (31) and South Africa (21) — with Kenya’s ineligible athletes rising over its 119 from 2024. Ruth Chepng’etich is among the more notable names in the group of ineligible. She is serving a three year ban after a drug test revealed high levels of the a diuretic and masking agent hydrochlorothiazide.
Chepng’etich, 31, is the current women’s world record holder in the marathon and accepted the suspension in September after an investigation. However, she was allowed to keep her 2:09.56 world record from the Chicago in October 2024, which was not impacted by the testing period after that race.
Kenya has faced increased scrutiny in recent years over a rising number of its athletes who have been issued doping suspensions. In October, Kenya was placed on a watchlist by the World Anti-Doping Agency after facing a status of non-compliance after making few improvements to address several deficiencies that were outlined in a 2024 audit.
And weeks earlier in late September, Kenya announced that it arrested and convicted an Indian national on charges of possessing performance-enhancing substances, which carried a three year sentence. Aman Malik was the focus of an investigation by the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and found in possession of human growth hormone, meldonium and mannitol. Malik was arrested in Iten, Kenya, a well-known base for distance runners.
Shortly after, ADAK revised the methods of how its athletes were tested and promised WADA that within a six-month period it would have either corrected or shown progress that meets a minimum standard of any nation participating in sporting events on an international stage. Kenya faced several WADA sanctions including cuts to funding, exclusion from participation in administrative-level programs while its own official could have been banned from holding positions on any WADA committees.
