Two Kenyans among the to three finishers in the Beijing half marathon have been stripped of their medals and bonus.
The action follows a controversial win of China’s star He Jie to, where three Africans deliberately let him take the lead.
According to the race organisers, claims that the four were pacesetters were untrue. Following an investigation, CCTV footage showed the other athletes letting He Jie go first but indicated to him to pass them as they were nearing the finish line.
Kenya's Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat and Ethiopia's Dejene Hailu will also be required to return the bonuses and trophies awarded, for breaking athletics law.
The organisers further confirmed that the results have been cancelled.
The Chinese Athletics Association has condemned the act, noting that moving forward will improve the country’s road running events, and prevent such happenings.
"In general, the overall operation of road running events has been smooth," the association noted.
"But problems in the organisation and management of the events have also been exposed, which has aroused widespread concern."
The Kenyans in an interview with BBC however claimed that they had been contracted to help Jie win the race.
Willy Mnangat further noted that the three were further tasked with ensuring He broke the current record, which stands at 1:02:33.
"I was not there to compete. It was not a competitive race for me," he stated adding his shock when he was given a bib name like other competitors.
"My job was to set the pace and help the guy win but unfortunately, he did not achieve the target, which was to break the national record."
