UK Athletics (UKA) has today announced the commissioning of an Independent Review (Independent Review) following Alberto Salazar’s 4-year ban from the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for violations of safe practices through his managing and running coaching programmes at the Nike Oregon Project (NOP).

In a press release UKA state they acknowledge the seriousness of the decision by USADA. It has now commissioned the Independent Review to review the processes under which the issues concerning the NOP were investigated in 2015 and 2017 and the subsequent related decisions made by the UKA Board at those respective times. The Independent Review will also set out any recommendations to assist UKA ensure its future governance and assurance framework is robust.

The Independent Review will be undertaken by John Mehrzad, the recognised leading sports law barrister with significant experience of conducting independent reviews in sport. He was the only legal member of the independent review panel that looked into the climate and culture of the world-class programme in British Cycling. He then chaired the independent review concerning governance issues within the British Equestrian Federation. He has also written and presented extensively on good practice for independent reviews and investigations within a sporting context.

The Independent Review will address the following questions:

UKA commissioned a review of the issues raised by the BBC Panorama programme ‘Catch me if you can’, broadcast in June 2015:
1) Were the terms of reference for that review reasonable given the nature of the allegations?

2) Were that review’s findings and conclusions presented in a reasonable way to enable the UKA Board to make informed decisions?

3) Were the subsequent decisions and recommendations made by the UKA Board reasonable with regard to the evidence available at the time?

Did the UKA Board give reasonable consideration to the ‘Fancy Bears’ leaking of the draft USADA report in 2017? Were the subsequent actions of the UKA Board reasonable with regard to the evidence available at the time?
Did UKA seek advice from UK Sport, UKAD and USADA in relation to the above issues in 2015 and 2017 respectively and, if so, did any of those bodies provide any formal response or guidance to the UKA in either 2015 or 2017?
Were the recommendations in the 2015 review reasonably actioned, tracked and documented by UKA in a manner which minimised future risk?
What lessons can be learnt from the above matters that can assist with the future governance of UKA?

UKA will aim to publish the findings from the Review in or around Spring 2020 and agrees to implement any recommendations made by that Review, to ensure its future governance and assurance framework is robust.

Chair of UK Athletics Performance Oversight Committee and of the 2015 NOP review, Sarah Rowell said:

“There has been much written about what the Oregon Project review looked into, found or concluded in 2015, and I therefore welcome this review as an opportunity to establish the full facts and for those facts to be published for all to see.”

UK Athletics Chair Chris Clark said:

“The UKA Board recognises the seriousness of the USADA decision released at the start of October. It has unanimously agreed that an independent review should now be carried out with the aim that findings and recommendations are published in or around Spring 2020.

“Our staff, athletes and coaches show immense dedication to this sport and are proud to be associated with British Athletics. We need to ensure we have a clear way forward that gives us confidence in the integrity of our coaching efforts. If there are lessons to be learnt, we plan to implement any recommendations into a future focused, transparent and accountable way of working.”

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Reported by Runners World after a memo was provided to them this week, Nike’s Mark Parker wrote that “This situation, along with ongoing unsubstantiated assertions, is a distraction for many of the athletes and is compromising their ability to focus on their training and competition needs. I have therefore made the decision to wind down the Oregon Project,”

Whilst it’s unsure how the the four year ban to Alberto Salazar for anti-doping rule infractions can be described as “unsubstantiated assertions” it isn’t a surprise that the sports wear giant has taken this move.

It is on the eve of the group’s athletes competing at the Chicago Marathon this weekend, with Jordan Hasay and Galen Rupp, along with former group member Sir Mo Farah, all hotly favoured to compete at the pointy end of the race.

The NOP website and social media accounts have all been shut down and one might imagine all evidence of the group will slowly start to disappear in some Orwellian Ministry of Truth shut down.

Two coaches

One of the taking points since Salazar’s ban has been that there were two coaching groups within the NOP, those working with Alberto Salazar and those working with Pete Julian, Salazar’s former assistant.

Athletes such as Craig Engels, Donavan Brazier, Konstanze Klosterhalfen, Shannon Rowbury are coached by Julian and claim it is entirely separate from the NOP head coach Alberto Salazar. It is unsure what will happen to this group of athletes who started working with Salazar as assistant coach back in 2008.

One would imagine the group will be renamed and continue working with Pete Julian as the head coach, such is the loyalty and respect for the coach coming from athlete statements since the announcement of Alberto Salazar and Dr. Jeffrey Brown’s four year bans.

Ripples across the pond

The impact of the banning of such a high profile coach is being felt across world athletics with UKA’s own performance director stepping down from his role in the wake of the disaster. Following initial charges there was a UKA investigation into hiring Salazar as a consultant, but here was deemed no issue with the partnership.

Salazar was coach to one of Britain’s most successful Olympians of all time, Sir Mo Farah, but Farah ended this relationship some time after the allegations were first placed against his coach by USADA. Farah is now coached by Paul Radcliffe’s husband Gary Lough.

Soon all will be forgotten

“Everything faded into mist. The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth.”

With appeals against Salazar’s ban forthcoming, athletes disappearing away from the coach and the group and new stories soon to unfold in the news, will the majority of the public forget the transgressions once again? Phrases like “unsubstantiated assertions” sow seeds of doubt, as does the continued insistent that “no athlete has failed a test”.

Lance Armstrong was never caught failing a test. Whistleblowers and journalistic investigations are possibly our greatest effort into the fight against doping in sport, contrary to what might be suggested by some of our own world record holders.

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The former coach of Mo Farah, as well as a whole host of athletes currently competing at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, was banned alongside endocrinologist Dr. Jeffrey Brown, who also worked with the Nike Oregon Project.

USADA announced that the panels “found that Salazar and Brown trafficked testosterone, a banned performance-enhancing substance, administered a prohibited IV infusion, and engaged in tampering to attempt to prevent relevant information about their conduct from being learned by USADA.”

Full USADA statement here.

The specific rules violations for Salazar were:

1. Administration of a Prohibited Method (with respect to an infusion in excess of the applicable limit),
2. Tampering and/or attempted tampering with the doping control process, and
3. Trafficking of testosterone through involvement in a testosterone testing program in violation of the rules.

Dr. Brown violated anti-doping rules by:

1. Tampering with patient records
2. Administration of an over-limit L-carnitine infusion
3. Complicity in Salazar’s trafficking of testosterone

Still coaching world class athletes

Salazar is still working with a whole host of world class athletes such as Galen Rupp, Shannon Rowbury, Yomif Kejelcha and Konstanze Klosterhalfen.

It must be unsettling for Sifan Hassan, who has just decided to attempt an unprecedented 10,000m/1500m double in Doha, following her astounding finish of a 3:59 1500m to win the 10,000m gold medal.

Great Britain’s Mo Farah stopped working with in 2017 and has since been working with Gary Lough as his coach. At the time Farah denied that the split from Salazar had anything to do with the USADA investigation into his old coach and stated that it was more about moving back to the UK with his family.

Salazar released a statement on the NOP website stating:

“I am shocked by the outcome today. Throughout this six-year investigation my athletes and I have endured unjust, unethical and highly damaging treatment from USADA. This is demonstrated by the misleading statement released by Travis Tygart stating that we put winning ahead of athlete safety. This is completely false and contrary to the findings of the arbitrators, who even wrote about the care I took in complying with the World Anti-Doping code:

“The Panel notes that the Respondent does not appear to have been motivated by any bad intention to commit the violations the Panel found. In fact, the Panel was struck by the amount of care generally taken by Respondent to ensure that whatever new technique or method or substance he was going to try was lawful under the World Anti-Doping Code, with USADA’s witness characterizing him as the coach they heard from the most with respect to trying to ensure that he was complying with his obligations.”

I have always ensured the WADA code is strictly followed. The Oregon Project has never and will never permit doping. I will appeal and look forward to this unfair and protracted process reaching the conclusion I know to be true. I will not be commenting further at this time.”

“Winning more important than health”

The comment that Salazar is responding to by USADA’s Chief Executive Officer Travis Tygart was that “The athletes in these cases found the courage to speak out and ultimately exposed the truth.

While acting in connection with the Nike Oregon Project, Mr. Salazar and Dr. Brown demonstrated that winning was more important than the health and wellbeing of the athletes they were sworn to protect.”

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