Farah-Salazar link probed
British anti-doping body seeking report on Olympic track champ and disgraced coach
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LONDON • The UK Anti-Doping Agency (Ukad) has delivered an extraordinary rebuke to UK Athletics (UKA) for its repeated refusal to hand over a 2015 internal report into Alberto Salazar's relationship with Mo Farah, which is said to contain sensitive medical data.
Ukad is understood to be angry and disappointed to have received only an edited PowerPoint summary of the report by UKA's performance oversight committee (POC), which was led by three former athletes and ultimately concluded there were "no concerns" about Farah continuing with Salazar.
In a highly unusual and pointed statement, Ukad's chief executive, Nicole Sapstead, said: "We remind UKA that they are bound by the national anti-doping policy. We call again on UKA to hand over this review in full, including the associated supporting reports and documents.
"We have repeatedly requested that UKA share this POC review with us in its entirety as there could be information included that is of interest to us."
However, UKA has insisted the five-year delay has been caused by the need to get consents from certain parties before handing over the report.
"Any implication by anyone that UKA is being obstructive in this matter or in any way failing in its duties, is wholly wrong and inaccurate," a spokesman said.
It added its lawyers had received correspondence on Friday from Ukad's in-house legal team "setting out a framework and reassurances of confidentiality to enable UKA to share documents containing sensitive information within the 2015 POC review".
On Friday, a separate independent report into UKA's relationship with Salazar between 2011 and 2017 by sports lawyer John Merhzad revealed that UKA had not kept minutes of vital meetings in which Farah's relationship with the disgraced coach was discussed.
The probe also expressed unease that UKA's 2015 review was done in-house and could come across as lacking in independence.
Last October, Salazar, who guided Farah to four Olympic gold medals and five world titles between 2011 and 2017, was banned for four years for doping offences.
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Four Olympic gold medals and five world titles between 2011 and 2017 won by Mo Farah under the guidance of coach Alberto Salazar.
Farah has, however, maintained his innocence, while Salazar has said he will appeal against the ban.
No athlete under the now-defunct Nike Oregon Project, the elite running programme founded by Salazar, has tested positive for doping.
THE GUARDIAN
