Doping scandal about running coach Salazar: In the sign of the skull

Where Alberto Salazar currently resides, is not known.

If he is still in the country, he may find it hard to follow the current performances of his athletes from his Nike Oregon Project (NOP). The World Athletics Championships will not be broadcast on national television in Qatar. And since Tuesday, the 61-year-old in Doha has a stadium ban.

On Tuesday, the International Athletics Federation IAAF had deprived the head coach of the NOP accreditation for the title fights. Shortly thereafter, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) informed the runners of the US elite project by letter that the contact with Salazar should be stopped immediately. No phone calls, no advice, no encouraging conversations. As in an isolation cell, he should be far away from the sport. In case of violation: Punishment of athletes according to the possibilities of anti-doping agencies.

To ensure that the message arrives safely, the AIU sent messengers to the athletes' hotels in Doha.

But take a step back. The doping ban against the athletics trainer and former marathon runner, which became public on Tuesday, triggered a quake. She initiated the overthrow of Salazar, and it is not yet clear where he will land - and whom he will tear into the abyss. The investigation indicates that Nike officials may have known about doping experiments. So what exactly did the sporting goods manufacturer know? To a SPIEGEL request, the group has not yet expressed.

NOP runner Brazier wins gold - but hardly anyone asks for it

When a trainer is linked to doping, not just the sponsor is targeted. Then questions about the students are not enough. Even if they were not the subject of the current investigation: The case has long since reached the athletes of the NOP.

David J. Philip AP

Salazar protégé and 800-meter world champion Donovan Brazier

In 1: 42.34 minutes and national record time, the American Donavan Brazier was sprinted on Tuesday for the World Cup victory over 800 meters; On Wednesday afternoon, Dutchman Sifan Hassan showed in the lead over 1500 meters why she is credited with breaking the world record on this track. And Konstanze Klosterhalfen wants to win a medal over 5000 meters.

The three athletes are special talents in running, so good they've been part of a Nike Oregon Project training group for a couple of months. An elite camp, which the most hopeful talents of the running world toiled and slept in, among other things, in Höhenkammern; A project by sportswear manufacturer Nike, right in the middle of the company grounds, to produce the Olympic champion and set world records. The logo of the running group is a skull.

Since 2015, there are allegations against Salazar

The three athletes also unite that their sporting achievements have become almost marginal. When Brazier went through the press area on Tuesday and only got the first question about his World Cup victory after a few minutes, the runner replied: "So one of you saw the race, thank you!" If you need to talk to the many microphones at the World Cup, they should answer questions about the head coach of the Nike Oregon Project. How do you react to the suspension of Salazar?

Karim Jaafar AFP

Salazar protégé and 10,000-meter world champion Sifan Hassan

The doping scandal involving the former world record marathon record holder deals with prohibited substances, illicit infusions, cover-up attempts, and the health hazards of athletes. A bottomless pit. But again: Neither Brazier, Hassan or Klosterhalfen are involved in the current case, the preliminary verdict is a result of years of investigation, the first allegations were raised in 2015 by a former coach of the project, Steve Magness. Former athletes of the project confirm his allegations.

US midfielder Clayton Murhpy, like Brazier, Hassan and Conventual Halves, has been training under Salazar for just under a year, and after running his 800m World Cup, he said, "I've never seen anything illegal in the Oregon Project." The national associations also refer to the many doping tests runners have to make in a season. "We have every confidence in the integrity of Sifan Hassan as an athlete," said the Dutch Athletics Federation.

Reactions from anger to relief

Similarly, the reactions from the German camp sound like monastery halves.

"We are fully focused on the sport," said coach Alexander Stolpe. Klosterhalfen itself commented on their lead over 5000 meters on Wednesday night on the subject only briefly and called the Salazar lock "a shocking news". But in the past few months, the 22-year-old said she could understand the skepticism about the US camp, but it would all go smoothly. Her jump in performance is the result of hard work, whoever does not believe it should watch her sweat while in Oregon.

Their manager Dany Biegler said on request that monastery halves would train in the US under the performance of Pete Julian, a training group independent of Salazar. How independent these groups are, however, one may question. The long runs on Saturday, the Long Runs, should deny Klosterhalfen and Hassan, who train under Salazar, ever together.

Andreas Rentz Getty Images

Germany's medium-range star Konstanze Klosterhalfen

Brazier stressed on Tuesday that he trains under Julian. And he said "if Pete takes over the training camp now," he would stay with the Oregon Project; He had never heard of the allegations against Salazar, which had been publicly known for years, before Tuesday. Also monastery halves intend to stay in Oregon. "I'm looking forward to the new season," she said after her first run.

For other athletes, the reactions range from anger to cover. US marathon runner Jordan Hasay called Salazar a "father figure". He has always met her as her coach "the highest ethical coaching standards". US hurdy-gurdy Andy Bayer, on the other hand, said, "I'm working my ass off, it just annoys me when cheated." He was glad that the case was rolled up so intensively. Only as the case finally goes out, that remains unclear. Salazar will appeal, and Nike has promised him full support.

This is remarkable, because the allegations against him weigh heavily. But it's not surprising either: Nike has been sponsoring this project for years with millions of investments, and Salazar has been the head of the project since its founding in 2001.