5 Nov 2019

Salazar under scrutiny by anti-doping agency

9:41 am on 5 November 2019

The World Anti-Doping Agency has said it will investigate all athletes who trained with banned coach Alberto Salazar.

Nike running coach Alberto Salazar.

Alberto Salazar Photo: AFP

Salazar, the former coach of Britain's Mo Farah, was found guilty of doping violations after a four-year investigation by the US Anti-Doping Agency.

The 61-year-old American said he will appeal against the ruling.

The Nike Oregon Project (NOP), run by Salazar, has now been closed down.

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach had previously called for Wada to investigate the NOP athletes.

"The clear question is did any of the allegations concerning Salazar and his operations result in athletes cheating themselves, which might have influenced their performance and might have involved the winning of competitions," Wada president Sir Craig Reedie told BBC Sport.

"We need to look at that and we will."

The NOP, based in Beaverton, Oregon, was established in 2001 and was the home of four-time Olympic champion Farah between 2011 and 2017.

It was closed down by Nike last month as the Salazar situation had become "an unfair burden" on athletes on the elite training programme.

Nike has stressed that Usada's report had not found evidence of performance-enhancing drugs being used on or by NOP athletes.

Farah has never failed a drugs test and has always strongly denied breaking any rules.

-Reuters