Former head coach of Athletics Canada and British Athletics Olympic and Paralympic programs, Peter Eriksson, has started an online petition accusing World Athletics (WA), the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of failing at its duties, in protest of Ruth Chepngetich’s world record of 2:09:56 from the 2024 Chicago Marathon.
Eriksson’s petition is a call for these three governing bodies to release all testing conducted on Chepngetich in the 12 months prior to her world record (Oct. 13, 2024), as he says her world record, which was ratified on December 11, 2024, “has been greeted with profound skepticism by leading athletics experts because it exceeds the limits of female human potential, is an embodiment and symbol of the absolute failure of World Athletics (WA), the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to detect and rampant doping control in international athletics.”
Who Is Peter Eriksson?
Eriksson is a well-known coach in the athletics world, with a career spanning over three decades. He is known for his work with Olympic and Paralympic athletes from both the Canadian and British federations. Originally from Stockholm, Sweden, Eriksson began coaching after he competed in speed skating at an international level.
Eriksson served as Head Coach for wheelchair racing in Canada and later as High-Performance Director for Speed Skating Canada, contributing to multiple medal wins at international competitions. His tenure as Head Coach of UK Athletics’ Paralympic program (2009–2012) saw Great Britain achieve top-three finishes at the 2011 IPC World Championships and the 2012 London Paralympics.
As Chief Technical Officer and Head Coach for Athletics Canada (2013–2016), Eriksson led the team to six medals at the 2016 Olympics, marking Canada’s best modern track and field performance. Throughout his career, Eriksson has contributed to over 240 medals at major international events and has, as a result, become a respected figure in the running world.
The Pushback On The World Record
Chepngetich’s performance in October didn’t just break the previous world record; it obliterated it by an incredible two minutes. The entire race was a spectacle to behold, as she came through the halfway point in 1:04:16, which not only was the fastest half-marathon run by a woman on American soil but also the fifth-fastest half-marathon run by a woman in history.
On Dec. 11, Chepngetich’s world record-setting time of 2:09:56 was ratified by World Athletics, which made her the first woman ever to run a marathon under 2:10. At the time of writing, Chepngetich has not failed any drug tests, which is also part of the ratification process.
But it’s no secret that Chepngetich’s record has been the center of controversy in the running world. Even here, among the editors at Marathon Handbook, we went back and forth with arguments on both sides of the story.
Want to read both sides of the story? Check out these articles by our editor-at-large, Amby Burfoot, and our senior news editor, Jessy Carveth, respectively:
- Opinion: Why It’s Hard To Trust Ruth Chepngetich’s Marathon World Record
- Here’s Why Ruth Chepngetich’s World Record Is Completely Plausible: A Data-Driven Analysis
We also did a deep dive into both sides on our podcast:
What You Should Know About The Petition
The petition, created on Dec. 17, 2024, currently has 414 signatures of its 500 signature goal, with 125 of those signatures coming just this week.
Eriksson’s petition calls for the following four actions from the three governing bodies:
- The disclosure and suspension of coaches and agents linked to athletes who test positive for doping.
- Enhanced testing, particularly in East Africa.
- Reporting back on the enhanced testing on a half-yearly basis.
- Immediately suspend all athletes from competition for the balance of a calendar year from any country that has more than 10 of its athletes test positive during the calendar year.
You Can Read The Full Petition Below:
The ratification on 11 December 2024 of Ruth Chepngetich’s 2:09:56 marathon performance in Chicago on 13 October 2024, which has been greeted with profound skepticism by leading athletics experts because it exceeds the limits of female human potential, is an embodiment and symbol of the absolute failure of World Athletics (WA), the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU)
and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to detect and rampant doping control in international athletics.
The failure of WA, AIU and WADA to prevent widespread abuse of performance-enhancing drugs in athletics is a dereliction of their duty to protect the interests of and opportunities for clean athletes to compete fairly against their co-competitors who engage in doping and severely harms the integrity, image, and sustainability of athletics as a viable competitive activity for honest athletes.
Please sign this petition to compel WA, AIU and WADA to disclose all testing, if any, conducted on Chepngetich, in the 12 months prior to 13 October 2024, and to hold these organizations accountable by requiring them to take urgent measures to eliminate doping in athletics, including
(1) the disclosure and suspension and coaches and agents linked to athletes who test positive for doping,
(2) enhanced testing, particularly in East Africa,
(3) reporting back on the enhanced testing on a half yearly basis and
(4) to immediately suspend all athletes from competition for the balance of a calendar year from any country that has more than 10 of its athletes test positive during the calendar year.
How can I sign the petition?
here!