Alberto Salazar, a prominent figure in the running world and coach to elite athletes including Mo Farah, has been handed a four-year ban by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). The ban stems from his role as head coach of the Nike Oregon Project (NOP), where he was found to have orchestrated and facilitated prohibited doping conduct.
Notably, endocrinologist Jeffrey Brown, who collaborated with NOP on performance enhancement, also received a four-year ban.
The USADA report revealed emails indicating that Nike CEO Mark Parker was made aware of experiments involving the banned substance AndroGel. Nike has not yet responded to inquiries about these communications.
Gigi and Bella Hadid, the supermodels who had scaled back their presence in Paris last season, made a highly anticipated return to the Spring-Summer 2020 presentations. Gigi walked for shows including Miu Miu, Chanel, Isabel Marant, Off-White, and Lanvin, while Bella made appearances at Miu Miu, Balenciaga, Vivienne Westwood, Haider Ackermann, Off-White, Mugler, and Lanvin.
Another top model, Kaia Gerber, was also prominent in Paris, walking for major houses like Chanel, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Givenchy, Valentino, Chloé, and Saint Laurent.
In a separate development, Alberto Salazar, coach of top athletes, including Mo Farah, received a four-year ban from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for his involvement in prohibited doping conduct while serving as head coach of the Nike Oregon Project (NOP). This decision comes after a four-year investigation by the agency.
Salazar’s actions included trafficking banned substances and tampering with doping control processes for NOP athletes.
Jeffrey Brown, an endocrinologist associated with NOP, also received a four-year ban.
Moreover, emails from a decade ago revealed that Nike CEO Mark Parker was informed of experiments with the banned substance AndroGel, raising questions about the company’s involvement.
Athletes associated with NOP, including Mo Farah, were not mentioned in the report.
In response to the ban, Salazar plans to appeal, with Nike expressing its support for him.
