Mo Farah’s former coach Salazar hit with four-year doping ban
Los Angeles,
Long distance running guru Alberto Salazar, the former coach of
Britain's four-time Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah, has been slapped
with a four-year ban after being found guilty of doping violations.
The decision to ban the 61-year-old from the sport comes after a
four-year investigation by the United States Anti-Doping Agency
(USADA) and a prolonged battle behind closed doors.
USADA also said Jeffrey Brown, a Texas endocrinologist who treated
many of Salazar's athletes at his Nike-backed Oregon Project, has also
been given a four-year suspension.
In announcing the bans, USADA praised the athletes for speaking out.
"The athletes in these cases found the courage to speak out and
ultimately exposed the truth," said USADA chief executive Travis
Tygart.
"While acting in connection with the Nike Oregon Project, Mr Salazar
and Dr Brown demonstrated that winning was more important than the
health and wellbeing of the athletes they were sworn to protect."
USADA said in the statement that two, three-member arbitration panels
had determined Salazar and Brown should be banned for "orchestrating
and facilitating prohibited doping conduct."
The Cuban-born Salazar operates the Nike Oregon Project -- which
four-time Olympic champion Farah belonged to from 2011 until 2017.
Salazar was discovered to have trafficked or attempted to traffic
banned substance testosterone, given athletes a substance in excess of
its permitted limit and tampered with the doping control process of
athletes.
"USADA's investigation yielded a wide range of evidence referenced in
the hearing, including eye-witness proof, testimonies, contemporaneous
emails, and patient records," USADA said in a news release.
"Between the two cases, USADA relied on more than 2,000 exhibits,
which the AAA heard along with the defendants' cases. In all, the
proceedings included 30 witnesses and 5,780 pages of transcripts."
In a statement on the Oregon Project's website, Salazar denied ever
doping his athletes.
"I am shocked by the outcome today," Salazar said. "Throughout this
six-year investigation my athletes and I have endured unjust,
unethical and highly damaging treatment from USADA.
"I have always ensured the WADA code is strictly followed. The Oregon
Project has never and will never permit doping. I will appeal and look
forward to this unfair and protracted process reaching the conclusion
I know to be true."
Farah left Salazar's camp in 2017 but denied the decision was related
to Oregon Project doping accusations.
The Somalia-born British star, who won back-to-back Olympic 5,000m and
10,000m titles at the 2012 and 2016 Games, has repeatedly denied any
knowledge of Salazar's alleged involvement in doping.
"I am a firm believer in clean sport and I strongly believe that
anyone who breaks the rules should be punished," Farah said when
announcing his split with Salazar.
"If I had ever had any reason to doubt Alberto, I would not have stood
by him all this time," Farah added.
Salazar is believed to be in Doha where several Oregon Project
athletes are competing in the IAAF World Championships.
One of Salazar's athletes, the Ethiopian-born Dutch runner Sifan
Hassan, won the women's 10,000m on Saturday and will go for more gold
in either the 5,000m or 1,500m.
