Mo Farah is victim over Salazar drug allegations - Steve Cram
Thursday 2 July 2015 13:21, UK
Mo Farah's innocence should be believed, while investigations into coach Alberto Salazar's alleged drug misuse may benefit the sport in the long run, Steve Cram has told Sky Sports News HQ.
Recent allegations claim Salazar was involved in doping US runner Galen Rupp, training partner of Farah's, along with other misuse of drugs at the Nike Oregon Project in Oregon.
Farah has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but his reputation came under scrutiny with the double Olympic champion reiterating in an emotional interview with Sky Sports News HQ's Jim White on Tuesday that he was "100 per cent clean", insisting he would reverse the decision to stick by his coach if there was any truth in the allegations.
The 32-year-old Somalia-born athlete said: "I work every day and every year I spend seven months away from my family. I miss my kids’ birthdays and those are times I will never be able to go back on and share with them. That kills me.
"To be labelled a cheat - it's not fair. If I'm a cheat, then prove I'm a cheat or just leave me alone and let me do what I do best."
Having worked as an athletics commentator and a coach for many years since retiring from competing, Cram knows Farah well and sympathises with his situation on the back of the media storm the athlete has found himself in.
Cram, speaking on his annual golf day for his charity COCO, told SSNHQ: "You have to listen to what Mo says and he’s adamant people should believe him.
"He's been a victim as much as anybody. He has to divorce himself from this as an athlete. When we finally get the answers in the end, people will then make a judgement on his career. People have been turning the accusations against Salazar against him which is unfair.
"He's done nothing wrong and has not been accused of anything wrong. I understand his frustrations. It's been a very difficult period.
"But there are big issues that have been highlighted. These are not issues that people in athletics didn't know about and don’t understand. They've been personalised around Mo Farah and Salazar and that's made it difficult.
"A lot of people have sympathy. I'm now looking forward to seeing him race and heading to Beijing for the World Championships and see him doing what he does best and winning on the track."
Farah decided to withdraw from the Diamond League meeting in Birmingham three weeks ago to enable him to fly to the United States at his training camp for showdown talks with Salazar who told his athlete he had done nothing wrong and would prove it.
I love what I do and I want to continue to win medals and I want people to know I’m 100 per cent clean
The 56-year-old coach has issued a 12,000-word statement to deny any wrongdoing, stating he "will never permit doping", while UK Anti-Doping confirmed on Monday it is investigating the doping allegations.
Farah is hoping to compete in the 5,000m at the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne on July 9. He is also due to run in Monaco on July 17 as well as at the Sainsbury's Anniversary Games at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on July 24-26.
Cram, 1984 Olympic silver medalist in the 1500m, added: "Mo's obviously had to contend with everything for a month and he's probably been able to divorce his training and hopefully his racing. It won't be easy though.
"The media will descend in Lausanne and Monaco. Everything Mo does is now under a different level of scrutiny. He is a big star and when he runs people are interested. A lot of people not usually interested in his track performances will now be listening but he's in good shape, training well and I hope he can show that in Lausanne next week."
While UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) investigate the claims, Cram believes the controversy that currently hangs over athletics may eventually prove to be a boost for the sport.
"It might be a good thing in some ways and there are issues that need to be looked at and it's not all about Salazar," he added.
"Things like missed tests, Therapeutic Use Exemptions and issues around medications. It's not just all about athletics though. There are swimmers, footballers, everybody in elite sport. If we want to get into the depth of it, we need to look at these things.
"However, athletics is where the main focus is. We'd prefer the focus not to be there but I've always been an advocate of trying to catch the individuals cheating and looking at improving the scenario so athletes and coaches feel safe in an environment where they can be as good as they can be. Plus there's the public perception so they can trust what they are watching."
