There is no evidence that Mo Farah cheated – but sometimes people are judged by the company they keepShortly after revelations first surfaced about Alberto Salazar being investigated by the US Anti-Doping Agency in 2015, I asked a UK Athletics contact whether they feared reputational damage if he was ever convicted. “Of course,” came the reply. “But we’ve gone all in on Alberto and Nike.” Long past the witching hour in Doha on Monday night, that decision came back to haunt them. And with the legendary American coach now banned for four years for “orchestrating and facilitating prohibited doping conduct”, UKA now looks desperately short of chips.After all it was Neil Black, UKA’s performance director, who used to travel at...
Given sport’s bad reputational year, it is fine that the BBC is preparing to get Chris Froome to defend himself on what is normally a controversy-free programmeFor more than 60 years the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year has served up a mildly diverting few hours of saccharine and froth. The formula is long established: laud Britain’s sporting heroes, relive their glories through stirring montages, and throw a threw softball questions for them to answer.Usually it makes for an easily digestible, if unchallenging, three hours of viewing. On Sunday night, however, the BBC is expected to break with tradition by firmly questioning Chris Froome about his failed test at the Vuelta a España when he appears via video link from...
Allegations about the American coach are not going away, which means both he and Farah must engage more fully with those who are challenging themThe last time I spoke to Alberto Salazar, in a hotel lobby in Beijing, he offered some simple financial advice. “You should put your money on me being cleared,” he said, smiling. “It’s a winning bet.” That was in August 2015, in the midst of a blizzard of allegations and an investigation by the US Anti‑Doping Agency against him. Yet 18 months later he remains in limbo, neither damned or saved, still awaiting his fate. And there, right beside him, stands Sir Mo Farah and British Athletics.Who would have predicted this in June 2015, when the allegations...
Farah remains Britain’s most popular athlete by a mile but at the Great Edinburgh International XCountry there were the first stirrings of a changing of the guardEven after defeat they chanted Mo Farah’s name like a mantra, the cries of “Mo! Mo!” growing more urgent as the chances of a selfie with him faded. The reaction is similar whenever he runs in Britain. For all the negative headlines around the United States Anti-Doping Agency investigation into his coach, Alberto Salazar, and the questioning of his relationship with Jama Aden, the Somali coach who is under investigation by Spanish police, Farah remains this island’s most popular athlete by a mile. Related: Laura Muir targets European and world medals in 2017 after...
A shortlist dominated by Rio winners means some startling omissions, such as England’s all-conquering rugby players and even some of Team GB’s biggest achievers, but each of the contenders deserves their placeWhile the presence of the world tennis No1 Andy Murray on the shortlist for BBC Sports Personality of the Year suggests the outcome of the public vote will be a formality, there are several conspicuous inclusions and absentees from a roll of honour that largely comprises Olympians and Paralympians nominated for their contributions to Team GB’s record‑breaking medal hauls in Rio. Related: Sports Personality of the Year 2016: who should win the award? – poll Related: Andy Murray heads Spoty list but no place for Chris Froome and others Continue...