USADA probe into Salazar nears end
Farah’s coach remains defiant as evidence mounts
THE investigation into Mo Farah’s coach Alberto Salazar is drawing to a conclusion with sources close to interested parties confirming that the US Anti-Doping Agency are busy pursuing the case and that activity has been heightened recently.
It seems USADA are ready to present their evidence, at which stage an independent review board would advise whether to bring charges or not, with Salazar – the man credited with turning Farah into a quadruple Olympic champion – and 2012 Olympic silver medallist Galen Rupp, Farah’s friend and training partner, the main focus of the investigations.
Last week a 269-page document, which appears to be a summary of the argument against Salazar, Rupp and others, was published online by the website FloTrack. The document revealed that while USADA are continuing to investigate Farah’s use of what is known as an L-carnitine infusion, which is legal if conducted properly, that he is not the focus of the current probe. Farah has repeatedly emphasised that he has not any broken anti-doping rules and that he is a clean athlete. There is no suggestion Farah has broken any rules.
Though there is frustration among some involved in the case that it has dragged on so long, it is understood it has been delayed by USADA’s attempt to involve the Texas Medical Board and view medical records denied them by Dr Jeffrey Brown, a doctor linked to the Nike Oregon Project and who is at the heart of allegations that medication may have been prescribed for performance-enhancing purposes.
Salazar, Rupp and Dr Brown have denied all the allegations against them and have said that they have cooperated with USADA, though the agency claims they have been obstructive.
Information revealed in the leaked documents suggests that USADA have collated a substantial body of evidence which now will be reviewed by an external body and recommend whether USADA should charge the likes of Salazar and Rupp with an anti-doping offence. Though Farah is not directly involved, it will be a major embarrassment if his coach is charged. Rupp, who is a close friend of Farah, would risk losing his Olympic medal if he were charged and found guilty, as the potential anti-doping violation he committed took place in January 2012, seven months before the London Olympics. Any charge would also be a major embarrassment for IAAF president Seb Coe, who described Salazar as ‘a good friend’.
The leaked document, which is an interim summary requested by the Texas Medical Board, centres on possible breaches of anti-doping rules at the Nike Oregon Project, which is headed by Salazar and which includes Farah.
It focuses on potential misuses of thyroid medication, a claim previously made by Salazar’s former athletes, for performance-enhancing rather than medical purposes; the use of testosterone, by Salazar, a drug for which he says he has legitimate prescriptions for medical issues but which is banned in sport; and the use of L-carnitine infusions, which are permitted as long as they are of only 50ml over a six-hour period.
Salazar became excited in 2011 by a medical research breakthrough at Nottingham University which revealed that L-carnitine, a naturally occurring amino acid, could help improve the performance of endurance athletes by delaying the depletion of energy and the onset of lactic acid.
The document reveals that Salazar described a new sports drink including L-carnitine as ‘the greatest sports supplement ever.’ He emailed cycling drug cheat Lance Armstrong, who at that stage was training for the triathlon, writing: ‘Lance, call me asap! We have tested it and it’s amazing. You are the only athlete I’m going to tell the actual numbers to other than Galen Rupp. It’s too incredible. All completely legal and natural! You will finish the Iron Man in about 16 minutes less while taking this.’
The document reveals an email trail in which it appears that Salazar is worried that taking the supplement via the means of a sports drink will take too long to have an effect and that in order to speed up the process, some athletes needed to take L-carnitine by infusion.
Because there are strict anti-doping rules about infusions, one of Salazar’s athletes raised legal concerns. The response of Salazar and coaching assistants was to double check the procedure and reassure athletes that it was. However, USADA claim the medical records, some of which voluntarily released by athletes, and their recollections of the procedure demonstrate that they must have broken the limits.
Salazar has rejected all allegations against him. ‘I’ve done more than any coach to continuously disprove false allegations where no violation has occurred,’ he said in a statement. ‘The Oregon Project and its athletes have nothing to hide and are hiding nothing.’