Americans want to test Farah’s blood samples again
AMERICAN anti-doping investigators have asked their British counterparts to release Sir Mo Farah’s drug test samples so they can be re-tested for bloodboosting substances. The US Anti-Doping Agency, who have worked in tandem with UK Anti-Doping since allegations of wrongdoing by Farah’s coach Alberto Salazar emerged in 2015, say they have enough evidence to warrant a new analysis of all athletes at the Salazar-run Nike Oregon Project. But sources say UK doping chiefs are awaiting more
details from their US colleagues before agreeing to subject Farah to further scrutiny. They have to balance the request against the requirements of their own investigation into the claims surrounding Salazar, with whom Farah has worked since 2011.
One substance for which the Americans want to test is EPO, or erythropoietin, which can increase endurance by boosting red blood cell production.
Farah, 33, said last weekend he is a ‘clean athlete who has never broken the rules in regards to substances, methods or dosages’. But yesterday the controversy surrounding the four-time Olympic champion and his American coach showed no sign of abating.
Fresh details emerged from the American report that was written last year, which said Salazar had ‘almost certainly’ broken antidoping rules on drug infusions and may have endangered the health of Farah and other athletes with unnecessary medication.
The BBC revealed that the American report also says Salazar may have committed an anti-doping rule violation by possessing testosterone.
Questions were also raised around an L-carnitine infusion — a supplement to boost testosterone levels — that Farah received before the 2014 London Marathon. Sources have suggested American anti-doping investigators have encountered issues with the medical records held by UK Athletics.
UKAD do not shy away from pursuing some of the biggest names in British sport, as demonstrated by their ongoing investigation into Team Sky and Sir Bradley Wiggins, their failed attempt to ban Lizzie Armitstead ahead of last summer’s Olympic Games when she registered a third whereabouts failure, and their investigation of boxer Tyson Fury.
Their concern in Farah’s case, however, appears to be the re-analysis of a sample without a compelling reason when it could jeopardise their ability to re-test the samples of the four-time Olympic champion — or indeed, any athlete — in the future. Samples can be held for 10 years and scientists could yet develop a new test that makes it possible to detect a banned substance. Testers also run the risk of degradation when they look at samples again.
UKAD chief executive Nicole Sapstead conceded that national anti-doping agencies do not always agree on the reanalysis of samples.
In a statement last night she said: ‘As is a matter of public knowledge, the US Anti-Doping Agency and UK Anti-Doping have been investigating the allegations made in the BBC Panorama programme relating to Alberto Salazar and the Nike Oregon Project.
‘Due to the fact the investigation has focused on a training base in the United States but has featured British athletes, USADA and UKAD have worked jointly on this investigation. UKAD enjoys an excellent working relationship with our partners, including USADA.
Decisions as to testing and analysis require careful consideration, and national anti-doping organisations can quite legitimately disagree in this regard. Status is no barrier to thorough testing or potential investigations. UKAD treats all athletes in the same way.’ In a week when Sapstead revealed alarming problems with medical recordkeeping at British Cycling and Team Sky to a parliamentary select committee, the UKAD chief also reiterated that it was ‘vitally important that all sports governing bodies ensure accurate and timely medical records are kept for their athletes’.
Yesterday, a UK Athletics spokesman insisted a comprehensive record of the 2014 L-carnitine infusion given to Farah had been passed to the anti-doping authorities, complete with the amount of the legal drug infused. UKA have insisted they have complied with World AntiDoping Agency regulations.
On Thursday, UK Athletics chief Neil Black was again asked to explain the organisation’s decision to continue working with the Nike Oregon Project and Salazar.
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules state athlete support personnel are prohibited from possessing banned substances without ‘valid justification’.
Salazar, 58, who has always denied any wrongdoing, has told the BBC he has been using testosterone, prescribed to him by a doctor, to treat a long-standing condition of hypogonadism, a condition which means the body does not produce enough testosterone. He also claims he has provided USADA with documentation to prove this although, according to the BBC, USADA refute this claim.