From Inside the Games
Four-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Mo Farah has reiterated he is “clean” following the leaking of a United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) report that suggested coach Alberto Salazar may have broken anti-doping rules to boost the performance of some of his athletes.
The report obtained by The Sunday Times alleges Salazar, the American head coach of the controversial Nike Oregon Project, gave Sir Mo and other athletes potentially harmful legal prescription drugs when they had no medical need.
But the Briton, who won 5,000 and 10,000 metres gold at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games, has said in a statement on his Facebook page that he has “never broken the rules in regards to substances, methods or dosages”.
“It is upsetting that some parts of the media, despite the clear facts, continue to try to associate me with allegations of drug misuse,” the statement reads.
“I’m unclear as to The Sunday Times‘s motivations towards me but I do understand that using my name and profile makes the story more interesting, but it’s entirely unfair to make assertions when it is clear from their own statements that I have done nothing wrong.
“As I’ve said many times before, we all should do everything we can to have a clean sport and it is entirely right that anyone who breaks the rules should be punished.
“However, this should be done through proper process and if USADA or any other anti-doping body has evidence of wrongdoing, they should publish it and take action rather than allow the media to be judge and jury.”
Dated March 2016, the report was passed to The Sunday Times by Russian hacking group Fancy Bears.
It also claims that Salazar used a banned method of infusing a supplement called L-carnitine, the effects of which he reportedly boasted about to seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong before he was exposed as a drugs cheat.
Although L-carnitine is not a banned substance, infusions of more than 50 millilitres within a six-hour time frame are prohibited.
According to The Sunday Times, the document states USADA has “substantial and compelling” evidence that Salazar and Houston endocrinologist Jeffrey Brown “conspired to collude together” to use prescription medications to boost performance.
Brown’s lawyers have denied the charges and said the use of L-carnitine was approved by USADA.
The Sunday Times story does not state whether any of the report’s stated conclusions are out of date.
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