No-effect injections: what is known about the doping scandal surrounding Olympic champion Mo Farah

BBC Panorama presented a documentary about the four-time Olympic champion in athletics, Mo Far and his notorious coach Alberto Salazar, who was disqualified in October last year for violating anti-doping rules. The new tape sheds light on previously unknown facts from the biography of the runner, which cast doubt on his reputation as a pure athlete, and also talks about the collaboration between Salazar and the UK Athletics Federation (UKA).

In 2014, before his first participation in the London marathon, Farah received injections of L-carnitine, a natural substance that, according to some studies, when introduced directly into the bloodstream can help speed up metabolism and increase athletic performance. It is important to note that although the World Anti-Doping Agency allows the use of L-carnitine, this must be strictly dosed - the amount of substance introduced into the body should be less than 50 ml for six hours.

The fact that Phare was injected with L-carnitine, it became known from an investigation by The Sunday Times in 2017. Then the committee on digital technology, culture, media and sports of the British Parliament held a hearing on this case, in which the UKA chief physician Robin Chakraverti said that Fara received only 13.5 ml of the substance with one injection after a thorough check for possible risks and side effects. At the same time, Chakraverti did not document the fact of the injection. In the end, it was decided that no rules were violated.

The BBC claims that this story developed differently and raises numerous questions. According to reporters, the UKA initially doubted the ethical side of using L-carnitine. On April 6, 2014, the head of the UKA long-distance running department, Barry Fudge, a week before the London marathon, said in an e-mail that “although this procedure is not a violation of the World Anti-Doping Code, we have a philosophical question as to whether this is in line with sports spirit ".

Former UKA head Neil Black wondered if it was worth the risk on the eve of the marathon, and he also doubted that the proposed actions were in line with the “sporting spirit”. Chakraverti admitted in response that he himself was concerned about possible “side effects” and that “it would be better if someone tried L-carnitine first”. He added that Salazar advocated the injection, but "you need to ask him to heed this advice."

However, it was decided to provide Farah L-carnitine. However, this substance was not available in the required form in the UK. Here, the functionaries came to the rescue Salazar. He introduced Fudge to his agent, who could provide the drug in Switzerland. Fudge immediately flew after him to another country to catch the marathon. There was no time to conduct a study for side effects, according to BBC reporters.

On April 11, two days before the race, Fara received four intravenous injections of the drug from the Chakraverti through a butterfly catheter with an interval of two hours. Salazar, Black and Fudge were present. Other British athletes did not receive the same injections. On April 17, when Fara passed the doping test, he did not report that he was taking L-carnitine.

A year later, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) launched an investigation into Salazar. Agency representatives arrived in London to interrogate Farah and some UKA staff. The BBC received a transcript of the negotiations, in which, as it turned out, they were talking about injections of L-carnitine. Fare was asked several times if he was taking this substance, and each time he answered sharply in the negative. However, after interrogation, he immediately contacted Fudge and again turned to USADA employees who were about to leave. Farah told them that he actually took L-carnitine through injections, but forgot about this case.

When Fudge was asked where he got L-carnitine, a UKA official said that "in the UK this drug is available on prescription, so we had to get it." The next day, Fudge again went to USADA representatives and admitted that he had received the drug from a friend of Salazar in Switzerland.

The revealed facts were commented on by Damian Collins, who conducted a parliamentary hearing in the Fara case in 2017.

“We hardly got the whole picture, because, it seems to me, from these emails it follows that this did not happen regularly. It was this drug that was needed, it was worth the great effort to get it, it was used contrary to the doctor’s initial recommendation. At the same time, no one keeps a record of its use, and everyone prefers to keep it secret. I think that this should be taken seriously, ”the MP said.

Coach Tony Minicchiello, who raised Olympic champion Jessica Ennis Hill, said he was disappointed with what was happening behind the scenes of the UKA.

“The situation is very unpleasant. I am shocked. In this case, Barry Fudge needs to explain what he was guided by this? After all, he works in the UKA, so why did the federation allow one of its employees to do this? ” Minichello does not understand.

The head of USADA, Travis Tygart, also reacted sharply to the BBC investigation.

“Salazar’s actions were fully coordinated with the UKA, there is no doubt about that. This is what people striving for victory and motivated by it are ready to do, given the availability of funds and resources, ”he said.

Fara himself declined to comment on the published information. Instead, the athlete’s lawyers stated that their client did not violate any applicable anti-doping rules in any way.

“Taking a certain amount of L-carnitine as an additive is not against WADA rules. The fact that someone may have their own opinion regarding the conformity of all this "spirit" of sport does not matter. Mr. Farah is one of the most frequently tested doping athletes in the United Kingdom, if not the world, and he has had to fill out a huge number of doping control protocols. He is a man, not a robot. Interrogations are not a test of memory. Mr. Farah understood the question in his own way, and as soon as he left the room, asked again Mr. Fudge and immediately returned for clarification, and it is obvious that the investigators were satisfied with this clarification, ”the statement said.

An investigation by the BBC did not reveal that Farah was taking illegal drugs. However, the fact that he did not talk about the use of L-carnitine in the doping test, and then completely denied this fact, may become an occasion for additional verification by the anti-doping services. The World Anti-Doping Code contains a “falsification” clause, that is, the provision of false information to anti-doping authorities, and from this point of view, the actions of the Headlight can be regarded as a violation.

The UKA’s relationship with Salazar, the discredited self, which the organization’s employees initially preferred to remain silent about, also undermines its credibility. At the same time, the question remains whether Fara actually received the permitted dose of L-carnitine in 2014 or if it was exceeded, which would also be a gross violation of anti-doping rules.

Finally, this investigation unambiguously discredits the work of USADA, which ignored the confusion in Fara’s testimony. The scandal involving the British Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD), which refused to transfer the old Farah samples for re-examination, had yet to die out, as another agency that took on the role of protecting pure sports undermined confidence in its activities.

However, the former head of the All-Russian Athletics Federation, Valentin Balakhnichev, is sure that Fara, even if he violated the rules, will be able to avoid punishment. The functionary told RT that the runner was sufficiently protected by his allies in Western sports organizations, while Russian athletes would inevitably suffer in a similar situation.

“It seems to me that the investigation is logical, given the fact that Fara collaborated with Salazar. What he is suspected of is under the jurisdiction of the International Athletic Federation. Therefore, I think that for her head Sebastian Coe, after all that has happened, sorting out will be a matter of honor. I do not suggest that they do the same as they did with Russia. You just need to demand compliance with the rules. An athlete will never admit to using illegal drugs. Therefore, let Kou act honestly, ”said Balakhnichev.

According to the expert, the recognition of Farah and the details revealed are not too sensational and do not discredit UKAD and USADA.

“Any organization that advocates tough sanctions against Russia can find a lot of this ... I don’t think that Fara’s story will continue. This is a war, and there are "friends" and "strangers" here. The headlight will be protected by all means: political and non-political, ”Balakhnichev added.

In turn, the Director General of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency Margarita Pakhnotskaya urged UKAD to take control of the scandal with Farrah and adequately respond to it.

“I can’t understand why UKAD still can’t give a normal, intelligible explanation on all issues related to Farrah. After all, the scandal surrounding him has been going on for more than a year. And why UKAD does not declare its intentions to conduct its own investigation, similar to that conducted by USADA. I know that a few years ago the Americans sent a request to their British colleagues in Salazar and Farah, which they were refused. Farah’s testimony made public earlier this week, when he initially denied the absence of injections and then “remembered” what he was doing, they also look strange, ”said Pakhnotskaya TASS.