Mo Farah's coach Alberto Salazar back in spotlight after USADA report is leaked
Sunday 26 February 2017 11:05, UK
Mo Farah's coach Alberto Salazar is at the centre of fresh allegations of doping after the publication of a leaked US Anti-Doping Agency report.
Salazar, head coach at the Nike Oregon Project in Portland, is alleged to have abused prescription medicines and drug infusions in a USADA report published by the Sunday Times.
He faced allegations of doping back in 2015, which surfaced in a BBC Panorama report, but has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Farah, who was not accused of doping, said at the time that his name had been "dragged through the mud", but he has remained loyal to Salazar.
The leaked USADA report says athletes were given infusions of the chemical L-carnitine, a naturally-produced amino acid prescribed as a supplement for heart and muscle disorders - it is not a banned substance for athletes, but infusions of more than 50 millilitres in the space of six hours are prohibited.
Salazar said athletes were given L-carnitine in "exactly the way USADA directed", the Sunday Times says.
The Sunday Times says that the USADA report contains allegations that Salazar gave athletes, including Farah, prescription drugs they had no medical need for in order to aid performance.
For Farah, the Sunday Times says, this included potentially dangerous doses of permitted vitamin D medication to boost his testosterone levels.
A USADA statement read: "USADA can confirm that it has prepared a report in response to a subpoena from a state medical licensing body regarding care given by a physician to athletes associated with the Nike Oregon Project.
"It appears that a draft of this report was leaked to the Sunday Times by the Russian state-affiliated hacker group known as Fancy Bears.
"We understand that the licensing body is still deciding its case and as we continue to investigate whether anti-doping rules were broken, no further comment will be made at this time."
Farah refused to comment and Salazar maintains his drug use has always complied with the WADA code.
