I didn’t hear any mention of this on NBC’s Olympics coverage.
From Oregon Live, June 3, 2015:
The Portland-based Nike Oregon Project, world-renowned coach Alberto Salazar and Olympic silver medalist Galen Rupp were hit with doping allegations Wednesday.
Perhaps the most serious allegation is that Rupp, a graduate of Portland’s Central Catholic High School and the University of Oregon, and the U.S. record-holder in the 10,000 meters, has taken the banned drug testosterone since high school.
The allegations, largely circumstantial and anecdotal, are contained in stories by investigative reporters David Epstein for the website ProPublica and Mark Daly for the BBC.
The BBC also aired a documentary containing the allegations Wednesday in Britain.
Both stories include blanket denials from Rupp, Salazar and Mo Farah, a member of the Oregon Project and the 2012 Olympic gold medalist in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.
Salazar and Rupp each issued a statement on Wednesday night in response to the stories.
Salazar’s statement reads, in part: ‘I am very disappointed that the BBC and ProPublica and their ‘reporters’ have allowed themselves to be used by individuals with agendas and have engaged in such inaccurate and unfounded journalism. Rather than present the facts, they opted for sensationalism and innuendo.”
Rupp’s statement, in part, reads: ‘I expressly told these reporters that these allegations were not true and their sources admit they have no evidence, yet they print ‘suspicions’ attacking me and sullying my reputation.”
The stories allege at least seven athletes or staff members who have been part of the Oregon Project have gone to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency with concerns.
The four who went on the record are former Oregon Project assistant Steve Magness, husband-and-wife distance runners Adam Goucher and Kara Goucher, and massage therapist John Stiner.
Magness worked for the Oregon Project for about 18 months. He left prior to the 2012 Olympics. Both he and Salazar said at the time that his departure was a mutual decision.
The Gouchers trained as part of the Oregon Project between 2004 and 2011. They enjoyed some of their best professional seasons under Salazar’s tutelage. Kara Goucher won the bronze medal in the 10,000 meters at the 2007 World Outdoor Championships.
Magness said that while working for the Oregon Project he came across records that documented Rupp’s use of testosterone medication and prednisone that dated to Rupp’s time at Central Catholic. Prednisone is sometimes used to treat asthma.
Stiner alleged that he found testosterone medication in Salazar’s condo in Park City, Utah, several years ago while the Oregon Project was training at altitude. The massage therapist said Salazar told him the medication was for his personal use because of a heart problem.
Neither Rupp, one of the most drug-tested athletes in track & field, nor any member of the Oregon Project ever has tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. Neither story alleges otherwise.
The stories contain allegations that Salazar encouraged the use of thyroid and asthma medications to enhance performance. They also contain allegations that Salazar manipulated therapeutic use exemptions, which allow use of banned substances under medical supervision to treat specific health problems.
Rupp has asthma, and has run parts of some races at Hayward Field in Eugene wearing a surgical mask when grass pollen counts have been high.
