President Uhuru Kenyatta, in yellow jacket, with the Kenyan athletics team, including Olympic 800m champion David Rudisha, circled left, and manager Michael Rotich, circled right

The Rio Olympics have been plunged into a new doping scandal after the Kenyan team’s track and field manager was secretly filmed offering to protect cheating athletes from the drugs testing authorities.

Major Michael Rotich offered to provide advance warning of drugs tests to athletes in return for a £10,000 bribe during a joint investigation by The Sunday Times and the German broadcaster ARD/WDR. He had been expected to lead his team at the opening ceremony in Rio on Friday but failed to turn up on the track after being confronted over the allegations.

Last night Rotich was ordered to return to Kenya to face an investigation into what Kenyan officials described as “serious” allegations of misconduct.

The disclosure will cast an even greater shadow