Mo Farah's former athletics coach Alberto Salazar has received a 4-year ban from the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after being found guilty of doping violations.
USADA placed the ban on Salazar after a four-year investigation and a two-year court battle on doping violations. According to Salazar, who runs the Nike Oregon Project, he was shocked by the decision and would file an appeal.
The 61-year-old coach argued: "The Oregon Project has never and will never permit doping. I will appeal and look forward to this unfair and protracted process reaching the conclusion I know to be true." A similar ban was given to Dr. Jeffrey Brown, a Nike-paid endocrinologist who treated many of Salazar's athletes.
The British four-time Olympic champion Farah was part of the Nike Oregon Project from 2011 to 2017. He left Salazar in 2017, the year the coach was first charged by USADA. Farah, who has never failed a drugs test and has always strongly denied breaking any rules, said: "I left the Nike Oregon Project in 2017 but, as I've always said, I have no tolerance for anyone who breaks the rules or crosses a line. I'm glad there has finally been a conclusion."
According to an independent panel, Salazar and Brown possessed and trafficked a banned performance-enhancing substance and administered or attempted to administer a prohibited method to multiple track and field athletes. It added that Salazar "tampered and/or attempted to tamper with the doping control process".
USADA chief executive Travis Tygart commended athletes for having the "courage to speak out and ultimately expose the truth". He added:Â "While acting in connection with the Nike Oregon Project, Mr Salazar and Dr Brown demonstrated that winning was more important than the health and wellbeing of the athletes they were sworn to protect."
Nike released a statement saying: "We support Alberto in his decision to appeal and wish him the full measure of due process that the rules require. Nike does not condone the use of banned substances in any manner."
