Court of Arbitration for Sport says hearing is unlikely to take place before March 2020

Former Nike Oregon Project head coach Alberto Salazar and Dr Jeffrey Brown have both appealed their four-year bans for doping violations, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has said.

The court added that those appeals are unlikely to be heard before March 2020.

Last month the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced the sanctions handed to Salazar and Brown “for orchestrating and facilitating prohibited doping conduct” while working with the Nike Oregon Project (NOP).

Salazar has coached a number of top athletes, including Britain’s Mo Farah.

The American has denied any wrongdoing, while there is no suggestion that Farah has violated any rules.

In a release published on Monday, the CAS said it has “registered the appeals filed by Mr. Alberto Salazar and Dr. Jeffrey Brown against the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in relation to the decisions rendered by the American Arbitration Association, North American Court of Arbitration for Sport Panel on 30 September 2019 and 7 October 2019, respectively, in which they were found to have committed anti-doping rule violations and sanctioned with a four-year period of ineligibility.”

The release added: “Two CAS arbitration procedures have been opened. The parties have requested additional time to file their written submissions and evidence. Accordingly, at this stage, it appears that the hearings in these two matters are unlikely to take place before March 2020.”

Meanwhile, Salazar has hit back at Mary Cain’s recent allegations against him by saying the athlete’s father, who is a doctor, was always in the loop when it came to medications.

“Mary’s father is a medical doctor,” Salazar told The Oregonian newspaper, “and both of her parents were deeply involved in her training, competition and health throughout the period she was coached by me. For example, Mary’s father consulted on medications and supplements Mary used during her time at the NOP.”

In a powerful New York Times video, American runner Cain launched a stinging criticism of Salazar and the NOP, saying: “I was emotionally and physically abused by a system designed by Alberto and endorsed by Nike.”

In his response, Salazar added: “Neither of her parents, nor Mary, raised any of the issues that she now suggests occurred while I was coaching her. To be clear, I never encouraged her, or worse yet, shamed her, to maintain an unhealthy weight.”