MO’S SUFFERED FOR HIS SALAZAR LINKS
Mo Farah has admitted he has suffered “financially and emotionally” from his association with former coach Alberto Salazar.
Salazar was banned for four years for doping violations in October, a sanction he is appealing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The American led the Nike Oregon Project, which has been shut down following Salazar’s ban but included Farah among its stable of athletes between 2011 and 2017.
Farah, the 5,000 metres and 10,000m gold medallist at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, said in January he would have ended the relationship with Salazar much sooner had he known the coach was facing a ban.
But Farah has now suggested some sponsors have turned their back on him due to headlines highlighting his Salazar links.
He said: “If I wasn’t Mo Farah and I saw Mo Farah and I’m seeing these headlines, I’d question . . . yeah, I’d ask the same questions.
“I don’t want to go into any more detail but there’s been a lot of stuff, financially and emotionally, where I have suffered a lot.”
Farah does admit to regret at intimating last October that the media’s continued questioning on the subject may be fuelled by racism.
“That came out wrong,” he said. “I’m not always very good at expressing myself.”
A Panorama documentary will air tomorrow night which promises “fresh allegations” concerning Salazar.
Farah has never tested positive for any banned substance and is not accused of any wrongdoing.