Mo Farah: 'I Have Never Taken Performance Enhancing Drugs'
Mo Farah: 'I Have Never Taken Performance Enhancing Drugs'
On Friday, Olympic and world 5000m and 10,000m champion Mo Farah, posted a statement on his Facebook page vehemently denying speculation that he has taken performance enhancing drugs, calling the rumors "completely false."
Farah, who has enlisted the services of a crisis management team, has been the subject of intense media focus in the British press ever since a joint BBC Panorama documentary and ProPublica report accused his coach, Alberto Salazar, of administering the banned steroid testosterone to his training partner Galen Rupp, along with a variety of other offenses that either bent or broke anti-doping rules.
On Thursday, the Telegraph reported that Farah missed two drug tests, one in 2010 and another in 2011. A third missed test would have banned him from the 2012 London Olympics, where he turned in the crowning moment of his career.
That Farah is training at an altitude camp in Font Romeu, France and away from his Nike Oregon Project teammates in Park City, Utah, has fueled further speculation of a potential rift between he and Salazar.
Salazar told Ken Goe of The Oregonian that there is nothing out of the ordinary about Farah’s current training and gave assurances that he is still very much a part of the Nike Oregon Project.
But with constant innuendo swirling, Farah, who has not spoken since a press conference ahead of the Diamond League meeting in Birmingham on June 7, decided to break his silence.
Below is his statement:
I have never taken performance enhancing drugs in my life and I never will. Over the course of my career I have taken hundreds of drugs tests and every single one has been negative. I’ve fully explained the only two tests in my career that I have ever missed, which the authorities understood, and there was never any suggestion that these were anything more than simple mistakes. The last two weeks have been the toughest of my life – with rumours and speculation about me that are completely false – and the impact this has had on my family and friends has left me angry, frustrated and upset. In particular, the media pressure on my young family and my wife, who is 5 months pregnant, is extremely painful, especially as I’m away training for some important races. As I made clear, I went to Portland to speak to Alberto Salazar and demand answers. He reassured me that the claims are false and that he will soon be providing evidence to make that clear. Until then I will not be commenting further on the allegations. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fans, family, friends and teammates for all the great support they have provided over the last few days and hope that I will now be allowed to focus on my training and winning medals for my country.
Posted by Mo Farah on Friday, June 19, 2015