Athletics
ATHLETICS INTEGRITY UNIT WARNS ON PROHIBITED ASSOCIATION
BY MIKE ROWBOTTOM
Athletes here coached by Alberto Salazar, banned for four years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), are receiving notice from the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) prohibiting them from future association.
They include Sifan Hassan, the Ethiopian-born athlete now representing The Netherlands who won the women’s 10,000 metres title here on Saturday (September 28) in only her second race at the distance and is eyeing gold in either the 1,500m or 5,000m.
David Howman, chairman of the AIU, exclusively told insidethegames: “Salazar has been stripped of his accreditation for this event, and that means that notices have to be given to the athletes under his coaching so that they don’t associate with him now that he has been banned.
“No athlete can be charged with prohibited association unless they have been notified about the coach or person they shouldn’t be associated with.
“So we have to give them written, formal notices to say ‘you cannot associate with your coach’.
“We are doing that today.”
Howman stressed there was no direct assumption made about any athlete who may have worked with Salazar.
“An athlete is not guilty by association,” he said.
“Not unless you then defy the prohibition order, so to speak, and return to the coach.
“There are some athletes who will be under our auspices, and some that will be given notice by USADA.
“All we are doing here is notifying those who are here.
“So there are several athletes here who will be getting notices today.
“We just want to make sure that nothing happens here.
“So that’s the immediate issue – making sure the athletes are notified.
“We’ll put something up on our website, USADA will put something up on their website – notice can be by a number of methods.
“But we just chose here for it to be the old-fashioned notice – here’s your piece of paper.”
USADA said Salazar’s punishment was for “orchestrating and facilitating prohibited doping conduct” as head coach of the Nike Oregon Project (NOP), a camp designed primarily to develop US endurance athletes.
It was attended for some years by Britain’s multiple Olympic and world champion Mo Farah until he severed his contract and switched coaches.
USADA said Salazar trafficked banned performance-enhancing substance testosterone to multiple athletes.
Salazar was also said to have tampered, or attempted to tamper, with NOP athletes’ doping control process, the agency said after concluding its four-year investigation.
Jeffrey Brown, who worked as a paid consultant endocrinologist for NOP on performance enhancement and served as a physician for numerous athletes in the training programme, also received a four-year ban.
Asked how big a coup the USADA announcement was in the battle against doping in athletes, Howman responded: “I have to read the decision before I make a comment – and it’s a 142-page decision.
“But it seems to me that what USADA did was an extraordinarily good job in terms of pulling together cases involving not only Salazar, but also the doctor.
“But to know what the tribunal decided in relation to the evidence I don’t know, so I would like to read it very carefully, and then I could say ‘Well this is pretty pivotal, this doesn’t matter’, and so forth.”
Howman said that the relevant section in the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Code regarding association had been brought in to play a month ago in relation to the Russian race-walking coach Vladimir Kazarin.
“He was continuing to coach although he had been banned,” he said.
“So we had to have an extra sanction imposed on the athletes he was coaching because they knew that he was banned.
“You also have to appreciate, of course, that those who have been sanctioned have got rights of appeal.
“So we want to be careful about over-stating and over-suggesting.”
To read the full decision on Salazar click here.
For the full judgement on Brown click here.
-insidethegames
The London Marathon broke the record for the highest number of finishers in a marathon, with 59,830 participants completing the course to surpass the mark of 59,226 at last year’s New York City event.
Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe shattered the world record to become the first man to run the marathon in under two hours, followed by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, who also breached the two-hour barrier on Sunday.
“To then break the record of the largest number of finishers in the history of marathons underlines the inspirational nature of the London Marathon. We are incredibly proud to have set a new Guinness World Record,” said Hugh Brasher, CEO of London Marathon Events.
In the women’s race, three women ran under two hours and 16 minutes in a single race for the first time ever, as Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa defended her title by shattering her own women ‘s-only world record
-Reuters
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Nigeria has aligned with the global athletics community in supporting World Athletics’ decision to reject 11 applications for nationality transfer to Türkiye, a move that includes sprinter Favour Ofili and signals a broader clampdown on the recruitment of foreign athletes.
Diamond League – Final – Zurich – Zurich, Switzerland – August 27, 2025 Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell in action during the men’s shot put final REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
The ruling, announced on Thursday by World Athletics’ Nationality Review Panel, affects athletes from multiple countries and was based on findings that the applications were part of a coordinated, government-backed effort to bolster Türkiye’s international competitiveness ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Rather than a single case, Ofili’s situation forms part of a wider group that includes five Kenyan athletes — among them former marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei — and four Jamaicans, including Olympic medallists Roje Stona and Rajindra Campbell. Russian heptathlete Sophia Yakushina was also among those denied eligibility.
Paris 2024 Olympics – Athletics – Men’s Discus Throw Victory Ceremony – Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France – August 08, 2024. Gold medallist Roje Stona of Jamaica celebrates on the podium. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigie
London Marathon 2024 – Women’s Elite Press Conference – London, Britain – April 18, 2024 Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei poses for a photograph ahead of the London Marathon REUTERS/Peter Cziborra/File Photo
World Athletics stated that approving the applications would undermine key principles guiding the transfer of allegiance, particularly the need to maintain the integrity and credibility of national representation in global competitions.
“The panel found that the applications formed part of a coordinated recruitment strategy… to attract overseas athletes through lucrative contracts,” the governing body said.
For Nigeria, the decision is being viewed not as an isolated intervention but as part of a wider effort to protect countries that invest in developing athletes from grassroots to elite level, only to risk losing them to wealthier nations offering financial incentives.
Officials note that the rejection highlights growing concerns about the commercialisation of national allegiance in sport, where athletes are increasingly targeted through structured programmes designed to fast-track international success.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has previously warned against such trends, stressing that nationality transfers must reflect genuine national ties rather than transactional arrangements.
The regulations governing athlete transfers were tightened in 2019 to prevent abuse and ensure fairness, following increasing cases of athletes switching allegiance under financially driven circumstances.
Although the applications were rejected, World Athletics clarified that the affected athletes — including Ofili — remain eligible to compete in one-day meetings, road races and club competitions, as well as live and train in Türkiye. However, they are barred from representing the country at major championships such as the Olympic Games and World Championships.
The decision is widely seen as a significant moment for global athletics, reinforcing the principle that national representation should be built on identity and development rather than financial inducement.
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A former president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Chief Solomon Ogba, has commended World Athletics for rejecting the application by Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili to switch allegiance to Türkiye.
World Athletics, through its Nationality Review Panel, on Thursday turned down Ofili’s request to represent the European nation, citing concerns over the integrity of international competitions and the growing trend of athlete recruitment driven by financial incentives.
Reacting to the decision, Ogba described the ruling as a victory for fairness and a strong message in defence of developing nations that invest heavily in nurturing athletic talent.
“This is justice not just for Nigeria but for many developing countries that work tirelessly to groom athletes, only for them to be lured away by wealthier nations,” Ogba said.
The panel, in its report, noted that granting the transfer would undermine key principles, including safeguarding the credibility of national representation and discouraging the systematic recruitment of foreign athletes for global competitions.
Ofili’s case was one of 11 applications submitted by the Turkish Athletics Federation, which World Athletics linked to a broader government-backed strategy to strengthen its team ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Despite having obtained Turkish citizenship and signing a lucrative club contract, Ofili remains ineligible to compete for Türkiye in major competitions such as the World Championships and the Olympic Games.
Ogba singled out World Athletics President Sebastian Coe for praise, describing him as a consistent ally of developing countries.
“How can a country nurture an athlete from grassroots level to elite status, only for another nation that showed no prior interest to come with financial inducements and take them away? It is unfair and must be discouraged,” he said.
The former AFN boss also advised athletes to remain focused and avoid making career decisions driven solely by short-term financial gains. He cited global stars such as Usain Bolt, Julien Alfred, and Eliud Kipchoge, who achieved success while representing their home countries.
Ogba further warned athletes against external pressures from managers and associates, urging them to consider the long-term implications of switching nationality.
“Many athletes who left Nigeria often return after retirement seeking support. The reality is that your home country offers opportunities beyond competition — as coaches, administrators, and mentors,” he added.
He concluded by urging Nigerian athletes to remain loyal and committed, stressing that while opportunities abroad may appear attractive, long-term security and identity remain tied to their country of origin.
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