Mo Farah will be staying with Alberto Salazar’s training group after an independent audit set up by UK Athletics found there was “no reason” to lack confidence in his training programme at the Nike Oregon Project – and “no reason” to be concerned about any other British athlete or coaches involved with it.
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After a full review by its Performance Oversight Group of Salazar’s Oregon training project, the UKA has dismissed any concerns.
The governing body had previously found no evidence of impropriety by Mo Farah, who trains under Nike’s Oregon Project, and it now says it has no worries over other British athletes and coaches.
However, UKA said its oversight group had made “organisational and procedural recommendations” which would be put in place in the coming months.
The accusations surrounding the Oregon Project will now be further investigated by the United States Anti-Doping Authority (USADA).
The review was announced in June after allegations of doping practises against Salazar made in a BBC Panorama documentary. They have asked us not to give any further details of our review until their work has concluded. We respect their request and are of course giving them our fullest support and co-operation’.
Salazar has worked as a consultant for British Athletics since 2013.
Farah has been based at the project since 2011 – and as many 20 witnesses linked to its running were interviewed.
‘We are taking nothing for granted however, and our independent directors are charged with conducting a rigorous review of that system in a timely manner’.
There is no suggestion the double Olympic champion has doped since joining the NOP four years ago but his training partner and London 2012 silver medallist Galen Rupp has been accused of doing so.
Said Daly: “Given UKA had no jurisdiction to investigate anything related to the doping claims, and given that the central plank of our film was about doping, one wonders what the point of UKA’s investigation actually was”.
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Farah and Salazar have both strongly denied any involvement with doping and performance-enhancing drugs.
