When the 17th edition of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Athletics Championships concluded on Sunday in Doha, Qatar, a gathering storm of dark clouds continued to linger over the world of athletics.
The highly anticipated event was a far cry from the normally ‘hard-to-find tickets for’ occasion, with the approximately 2000 athletes from 208 countries having to compete in a virtually empty air conditioned stadium at weird times. Besides being a nightmare for the competitors, especially the race walkers and marathon runners who had to compete in temperatures hovering around 31 degrees Celsius and high humidity in the early hours of the morning, the championships will be best remembered for events that took place off the track.
On Monday, 1st October, the fifth day of competition, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced a four-year ban for the widely acclaimed American distance running Coach Alberto Salazar. Salazar, a former marathon record holder, along with Dr. Jeffrey Brown, an endocrinologist, according to the USADA, were found to have “shared information with the aim of improving the athletes’ performance via medical intervention, with a particular interest in increasing testosterone levels.”
Salazar, who was the driving force behind the Nike Oregon Project (NOP) which was developed to revitalize American distance running, and not a doctor, was also found to have tampered with the doping control process, administering improper infusions of L-carnitine (a naturally occurring substance that converts fats into energy), and admitted to distributing prescription drugs and prescription doses of vitamin D to athletes in his charge. As expected, in cases such as these, Salazar has vowed to appeal and clear his name, while Nike, the world’s largest manufacturer of sports apparel, has denied any wrong doing.
Former athletes and a coach, who were at one time involved with NOP, drew attention to USADA of Salazar’s unorthodox methods as far back as 2009. The BBC’s Panorama programme Catch Me If You Can ran an episode on Salazar and NOP in 2015 with testimonies from whistleblowers, which seemed to propel USADA to launch a four-year investigation. The last two years has involved a two-year legal battle fought behind closed doors, with Nike providing a high powered legal team to protect its embattled coach.
Salazar’s fall from grace must have been a bitter pill (no pun intended) for IAAF President Sebastian Coe to swallow. He has been friends with Salazar for over 35 years. In fact, they have enjoyed lucrative associations with Nike, dating back to their competitive days, and both their names adorn buildings in the Nike complex in Beaverton, Oregon. (Coe had to bow to media pressure to quit his Ambassadorial contract with Nike, reportedly worth 100,000 pounds annually, when he became IAAF President). The next day, Coe issued an order for the withdrawal of Salazar’s accreditation for the championships and for all athletes associated with Salazar to immediately sever all contact with the coach.
Coe, who, along with the former American 400 metres hurdler, Edwin Moses, has always been the leading light in the charge against doping in the world of athletics, now finds himself between a rock and a hard place. When the rumour mill had started to turn about Salazar’s questionable coaching methods, Coe had resolutely stood by his friend’s side. Over the weekend he admitted that he hadn’t read the 140-page report issued by USADA detailing its findings in the investigation of Salazar, only its executive summary. Will he read it or is he avoiding what he suspects he does not want to know? Or might he be tempted to agree with some of the whistleblowers, who according to USADA were treated as “guinea pigs,” and are asking for a life ban?
The plummeting of Salazar’s star is also hitched to the British middle distance runner Mo Farah. Farah, a former middle of the pack performer, became a superstar under Salazar’s tutelage from 2011 to 2017, winning six world titles and four Olympic gold medals, in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres events. When the BBC Panorama programme was aired, Farah was advised to quit his association with Salazar. Initially he agreed but then changed his mind and remained with Salazar for two more years. Farah, who has never failed a drug test, has, of course, denied any wrongdoing or being aware of any illegal activities. Question marks will now linger over Farah’s fine collection of gold, though he might only be guilty by association.
ast week, the IOC President Thomas Bach had suggested that the World Anti-Doping Agency retest all athletes who trained under Salazar at NOP. And while they are conducting that exercise Mr President how about retesting the gold and silver medalists in the Men’s 100 metres event at Doha? Christian Coleman, who managed to miss three drug testing dates in the last year, and Justin Gatlin, a two-time drug cheat who gets faster with age.
Where there is fire, there is smoke. In the athletic world, the smoke continues to gather in thick dark clouds.