Alberto Salazar four-year ban upheld by CAS

Salazar,
who
coached
four-time
Olympic
champion
Mo
Farah
among
many
athletes,
and
Dr
Jeffrey
Brown
were
banned
in
2019
by
the
United
States
Anti-Doping
Agency
(USADA).

American
Salazar,
former
head
of
the
now-closed
Nike
Oregon
Project,
launched
an
appeal
against
the
decision.

It
was
confirmed
by
the
Court
of
Arbitration
for
Sport
(CAS)
on
Thursday
that
the
bans
handed
out
to
Salazar
and
Brown,
who
has
worked
as
a
physician
and
endocrinologist,
would
stand.

A
CAS
statement
said
the
pair
had
“committed
a
number
of
anti-doping
rule
violations”.

CAS
ruled
that
Salazar
was
guilty
of
being
in
possession
of
testosterone,
complicity
in
Brown’s
administration
of
a
prohibited
method
and
tampering
with
the
doping
control
process.

Following
news
of
Salazar’s
ban
two
years
ago,
Nike
shut
the
Oregon
Project,
its
elite
training
group
for
distance
athletes.

British
long-distance
runner
Farah
has
never
failed
a
drugs
test
or
been
accused
of
doping
and
parted
ways
with
Salazar
in
2017.

CAS
said
that
aspects
of
USADA’s
handling
of
the
cases
against
Salazar
and
Brown
“seemed
to
be
out
of
proportion
and
excessive
when
compared
to
the
severity
and
consequences
of
the
ADRVs
[anti-doping
rule
violations]
that
have
been
established”.

In
a
media
release,
CAS
added
that
it
“emphasised
that
none
of
the
ADRVs
directly
affected
athletic
competition,
and
that
there
was
no
evidence
put
before
the
CAS
as
to
any
effect
on
athletes
competing
at
the
elite
level
within
the
NOP
[Nike
Oregon
Project]”.