Coach Salazar loses CAS appeal against ban

63-year-old was banned 2 years ago for doping violations

Athletics coach Alberto Salazar’s four-year suspension for a series of doping violations was yesterday upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The 63-year-old former head of the now-shuttered Nike Oregon Project, best known for coaching Britain’s four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah, was suspended in 2019.

A four-year ban on physician and endocrinologist Jeffrey Brown, who worked alongside Salazar, was also upheld by the Lausannebased body.

In a statement, CAS said Salazar and Brown had “committed a number of anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs) and has confirmed the fouryear bans imposed on them”.

CAS listed a number of violations committed by Salazar — possession of testosterone, complicity in Brown’s administration of a prohibited method, and tampering with the doping control process.

Salazar was suspended two years ago during the world championships in Doha following an investigation by the US Anti-Doping Agency.

USADA said its probe had uncovered a treasure trove of evidence including “eyewitness proof, testimonies, contemporaneous emails, and patient records”.

Salazar, who was coaching Ethiopian-born Dutch distance-running star Sifan Hassan at the time of his suspension, has steadfastly denied wrongdoing.