Inside the Games/Athletics Illustrated
The next step for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is to investigate all runners past and present who were coached by Alberto Salazar at Nike Oregon Project and to retroactively re-award any and all medals and records to the appropriate athletes. WADA will need the burden of proof and a lot of it.
This will be an arduous task, but this is the role of governing bodies – to govern.
WADA will be asked by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) whether they will investigate all athletes associated with NOP, following the ban of Salazar.
IOC President Thomas Bach described the case involving Salazar, banned for four years earlier this week, as “very concerning”.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) revealed Salazar’s punishment was for “orchestrating and facilitating prohibited doping conduct” as head coach of the NOP, a camp designed primarily to develop US endurance athletes.
It was attended for some years by Britain’s multiple Olympic and world champion Sir Mo Farah until he severed his contract and switched coaches.
USADA alleged Salazar trafficked banned performance-enhancing substance testosterone to multiple athletes.
Some of this information has been corroborated by athletes and coaches during the BBC and ProPublica investigation including Kara Goucher, Steve Magness, and others.
Salazar was also said to have tampered, or attempted to tamper, with NOP athletes’ doping control process, the Agency concluded after concluding its four-year investigation.
Jeffrey Brown, a paid consultant endocrinologist for NOP on performance enhancement and who served as a physician for numerous athletes in the training program, also received a four-year ban.
So far, no athletes have been charged with any offences.
NOP lost as many athletes, for example, Cam Levins, Mary Cain, Goucher, Dathan Ritzenhein and Mo Farah.
Bach promised he would write a letter to WADA to find out further details around the case.
This includes whether results at the Olympic Games may have been impacted by possible doping offences, which is not a leap but an unproven, but warranted suspicion.
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