By Sara Germano and Joshua Robinson
This article is being republished as part of our daily
reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S.
print edition of The Wall Street Journal (October 2, 2019).
Nike-backed running coach Alberto Salazar on numerous occasions
briefed top Nike Inc. officials, including Chief Executive Mark
Parker, on his experiments to manipulate the use of
performance-enhancing drugs for track and field athletes, according
to emails referenced in reports published by the U.S. Anti-Doping
Agency on Monday.
The reports, prepared by the American Arbitration Association
for Usada, delivered respective four-year bans for Mr. Salazar and
a Nike-sponsored doctor, Jeffrey S. Brown. Together they show that
Mr. Parker was made aware of Mr. Salazar and Dr. Brown's ongoing
work in what Usada described as "orchestrating and facilitating
prohibited doping conduct."
The reports also allege that at least one of the pair's
experiments -- determining whether the use of topical testosterone
cream would trigger a positive doping test -- was conducted in a
laboratory at Nike's headquarters.
Mr. Parker was included on several emails from Mr. Salazar and
Dr. Brown that detailed the pair's ongoing research to find
performance-enhancing benefits for a stable of Olympic runners in
the highly decorated Nike Oregon Project, an elite training group
based at the company's Beaverton, Ore., headquarters.
In a July 2009 email exchange, Dr. Brown wrote to Mr. Parker to
apprise the Nike chief on the testosterone experiment, in which he
relayed testing varying amounts of hormonal creams on Mr. Salazar's
adult sons, who aren't professional athletes.
"We tested levels in the commonly used screening at least for
track and field of urinary T/E (testosterone/epitestosterone)
ratios after 1 pump (1.25 grams) and 2 pumps (2.5 grams) of
Androgel," Dr. Brown wrote, according to the report on his
sanction, referencing the brand of testosterone cream used. "We
found that even though there was a slight rise in T/E ratios, it
was below the level of 4 which would trigger great concern."
Mr. Parker responded, "Jeff, thanks for the update on the tests.
It will be interesting to determine the minimal amount of topical
male hormone required to create a positive test. Are there other
topical hormones that would create more dramatic results...or other
substances that would accelerate the rate of absorption into the
body?"
Testosterone is a substance banned by the World Anti-Doping
Agency, the global antidoping authority whose codified rules are
adopted by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, the International Olympic
Committee, and various other national and international sports
organizations.
According to the reports, Mr. Salazar contends he devised the
testosterone experiment after he became concerned that his athletes
could be victims of sabotage by competitors. Galen Rupp, the
American distance runner, testified to the arbitration panel that
he felt a trainer come up to him at a May 2009 track meet and
proceed to "rub something wet on his back."
Usada argues that "this same experiment can be used to further
the nefarious purpose of evading doping control just as easily as
it can be used for the claimed prophylactic purpose of determining
the likely success of attempted sabotage."
In a separate 2011 exchange, Mr. Salazar directly informed Mr.
Parker, as well as Nike's president of advanced innovation, Tom
Clarke, and the disgraced former cyclist Lance Armstrong, of the
results of another experiment with a supplement called L-Carnitine
believed to improve aerobic performance. L-carnitine is a chemical
compound that, while not a prohibited substance, is subject to WADA
rules restricting the methods by which it can be administered and
in what quantities. It wasn't clear if Mr. Parker or Mr. Clarke
responded to the message.
At the time, Mr. Armstrong had retired from cycling under a
cloud of suspicion, but continued to train at an elite level in
triathlon, sponsored by Nike and advised by Mr. Salazar. Mr.
Armstrong was banned by Usada in 2012 and publicly admitted to
doping in 2013.
In a December 2011 email, Mr. Salazar wrote to Mr. Armstrong
directly, "Lance, call me asap! We have tested it and it's
amazing!," according to one of the reports. He continued, "It's too
incredible. All completely legal and natural. You will finish the
Iron Man in about 16 minutes less while taking this." Mr. Armstrong
said in an email Tuesday that he never tested or tried
L-carnitine.
"At the time Alberto was concerned that Nike runners could be
sabotaged by someone rubbing testosterone cream on them," a Nike
spokesman said on Tuesday. "Mark was shocked that this could be the
case and given Mark's passion for running, Dr. Brown and Alberto
made Mark aware of their findings. Mark Parker had no reason to
believe that the test was outside any rules as a medical doctor was
involved. Furthermore, Mark's understanding was that Alberto was
attempting to prevent doping of his athletes."
Later on Tuesday, Mr. Parker sent an email to employees in which
he described news accounts as "highly misleading" and underscored
his support for Mr. Salazar. "I want you to know that when I ask
you to Do the Right Thing, I am doing the same myself. I would
never condone cheating of any kind in sport or otherwise and I
expect you wouldn't either." He added: "As for Alberto, it's
clearly a difficult time for him, his family and his athletes. I
think it's important that you know we looked into these allegations
and did not find that he violated any rules."
In a statement late Monday, Mr. Salazar said that he was
"shocked" by the ban and that he planned to appeal. "I have always
ensured the [World Anti-Doping] code is strictly followed. The
Oregon Project has never and will never permit doping," he
said.
A receptionist at Dr. Brown's medical office in Houston said he
wasn't immediately available early Tuesday. The endocrinologist
stopped consulting for Nike in 2013, according to the reports.
Mr. Salazar's Nike Oregon Project has produced six Olympic
medals between distance running stars Mo Farah of Great Britain and
Rupp of the United States. The decision to ban Mr. Salazar and Dr.
Brown is Usada's highest-profile sanction since it banned Mr.
Armstrong for life in 2012.
A spokesman for both Mr. Farah and Mr. Rupp didn't immediately
respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
The bans were announced at the height of track and field's most
prominent competition outside of the Olympics, the biennial World
Athletics Championships this week in Doha, Qatar, where at least
seven athletes affiliated with the Nike Oregon Project are
scheduled to compete. Within hours of the announcement, Mr.
Salazar's pass to the stadium was rescinded, according to track and
field's world governing body.
Mr. Salazar, himself a former elite runner and a Boston and New
York City Marathon champion, is a close friend of Nike co-founder
Phil Knight, both of whom are alumni of the track and field program
at the University of Oregon. Mr. Salazar is so esteemed at Nike
that one of the company's buildings at its Beaverton campus is
named for him.
Write to Sara Germano at sara.germano@wsj.com and Joshua
Robinson at joshua.robinson@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 02, 2019 02:47 ET (06:47 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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